Hyrule Warriors
by MiniJen
Summary: It has often been told that whenever darkness covers Hyrule, a lone hero arises to restore peace and balance. However, as the Black Witch Cia rises up with the intent of conquering the kingdom, Link may not be enough to stop her on his own. As war erupts across the land, friends and foes from across the ages will come together and fight to decide Hyrule's fate. A novelization of HW
1. Prologue: The Balance of the Triforce

**AN~Oh look! Another distraction for myself! Yay! But seriously folks, I recently got my hands on Hyrule Warriors and I absolutely adore it so much, especially its story. However, since it's such a gameplay-heavy campaign, I realized that the story doesn't get as much importance or detail as it should, and so hooray for the wonders of fanfiction to fix that! I figured that writing a novelization of Hyrule Warriors would most likely be easier than my earlier attempts at novelizing a Zelda game (I've tried both Wind Waker and Majora's Mask, both with less than satisfying results), since HW is chock full of characters to flesh out and a plotline that is just BEGGING for more detail/emotion/drama/ect. And, so I present to you this, my humble (most likely very lengthy) novelization of Hyrule Warriors! Now of course, I do plan on fleshing things out quite a bit, adding more dialogue, backstories, details, scenes ad even diverting from the plot quite a bit in some places cause like I said, it can be kinda basic otherwise. And so be aware of that. I don't plan on dropping any characters from the plot (not even Proxi, who I thought was a useless waste of space to the plot anyway, but whatever, she'll be our Navi of the game I suppose), however I do plan on adding a few… ;) And yes, I am not going to hold tightly to Zelda canon, since the game doesn't do that anyway. And so, before we begin, allow me t give you the basic rundown of ideas! **

**Genres: Action (of course), Drama, Angst (again, of course considering my writing), Romance (Link/Zelda shipping quite HEAVILY later on, so be aware; plus there's also some light one-sided Link/Cia (and Lana) in here so yeah…), Adventure, ect. **

**Characters: Link, Zelda, Impa, Lana, Cia, Sheik, Ganondorf, Zant, Ghirahim, Volga, Wizzro, Midna, Agitha, Darunia, Ruto, Fi, Great Fairy, Proxi, and others…. ;)**

**Rating: T or whatever the equivalent is, for violence (and LOTS of it! This is HW after all!), some suggestiveness (cause Cia, you know), but other than that, it will be along the same lines of tone and style as my other fics, so don't be too wary!**

**Anyway, that's all I really have to say before we begin! I hope you all enjoy! (Oh, and obvious spoilers ahead for anyone who has not played/finished HW, amongst other Zelda games)**

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><p><em>MiniJen Presents<em>

_**Hyrule Warriors**_

_**The Novelization**_

_Prologue: The Balance of the Triforce_

_Before time began, the world was void and empty, completely without form, order, or life. That is, until the three golden goddesses descended upon this chaotic plane, and cultivated their creation upon it. _

_Din, the goddess of power, formed the solid red earth with her strong flaming arms. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, brought order to the chaos and established the laws of this world. And Farore, the goddess of courage, breathed life into all creatures that lived there, who would dwell upon the solid earth and uphold the order and laws of the land. _

_Upon the completion of their great work, the goddesses departed from their new creation, but not before leaving behind a symbol of their divine power and providence. _

_The Triforce._

_Most who live in the land of Hyrule know this ancient tale. They have passed it down through countless generations, so that it will never be forgotten. _

_However, like all great legends, there is much that is unknown to the people of each and every age. Secrets that are well kept, and well-guarded._

_Most do not know just how important the Triforce is to maintaining balance within the world, and how many times that balance had almost been shattered entirely. _

_This is one of those tales…_

It has been said that the Triforce is the harmonious union of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. These three virtues are what bind all souls of the land together, and each is of equal importance. Because of the strength that this balance poses, the sacred relic has been the object of countless battles between the forces of light and darkness.

The promise of the Triforce's power brought out the deepest greed in the hearts of many men, and yet few had the strength to even try to claim it as their own. That is, until one great evil came into the world, its mind filled with wicked desires to conquer the land of Hyrule using the omnipotent power of the Triforce. Time and time again, this same evil rose up, often times in different forms, and laid its claim upon the golden relic. Each time the Triforce fell into the clutches of this evil, Hyrule was plunged into misery.

And yet, not all hope was lost. For in every age, whenever Hyrule was threatened by this darkness and destruction assaulted the helpless people of the kingdom, a hero clad in green would restore peace to the land.

The first of these instances occurred countless centuries ago, in an era when the sky and surface were worlds apart and the land was devoid of most human life. The people had taken to the isle above the clouds for refuge, as did the Triforce, but even that did not stop the dark desires of the evil one. In its lust for power, it sought to destroy and conquer all, but before its wicked intentions could be realizes, it was stopped by the Chosen Hero of the Goddess Hylia. The hero sealed the evil one away, where its dark soul remained… for a time.

Many years later, the evil one was born anew and its strong ambitions for Hyrule and the Triforce were rekindled. However, the evil one was only able to obtain a fragment of the Triforce, the essence of Power. The essences of Wisdom and Courage were given to those who were most worthy of wielding them, the wizened princess of the land, and the legendary Hero of Time. Together, they thwarted the evil one's plans once more, and saved Hyrule before it fell into eternal darkness.

And yet, the evil one was persistent, and even its Twilit prison could not contain it for too long. It broke free once again and sought to wreak havoc upon Hyrule, mounting a devastating assault upon the unprepared kingdom. And yet, when it seemed as though all light had faded from the land and shadows covered all, the Hero of Twilight appeared, aided on his journey by the Princess of the Twilight Realm herself. With the princess of Hyrule, they managed to stop the evil once more and drive its influence back into the depths of darkness where it belonged.

However, it was during another one of these dark times that it became quite apparent that this cycle could no longer continue, lest Hyrule be destroyed from the continuous sieges laid upon it. And so it was that when the evil one was defeated yet again, the legendary hero split the spirit its spirit into four fragments, finally breaking the constant cycle of destruction. Each fragment was sealed away securely, so that they could not reunite and be reborn.

Three of the fragments were scattered across time and space: one in the era of the sky, one in the era of the Hero of Time, and one in the era of Twilight. The final fragment was sealed away in a sacred temple built upon holy ground, imprisoned by the blade of evil's bane, the very sword that the hero had used to strike down the evil one in every age.

With the spirit of evil tightly locked away, it seemed as though Hyrule would finally see peace…

_For generations, Hyruleans have told the tale of the War Across the Ages. This is how it begins…_

In order to maintain the all-important balance of the Triforce, the golden goddesses devised a plan that they hoped would ensure peace for all who lived in Hyrule. They decided to appoint a great sorceress to watch over the Triforce, a young woman born of a clan of powerful, yet benevolent magic users. Upon being called by the goddesses, this young woman accepted her new role dutifully, and so she would not be interrupted in her incredibly important task, she isolated herself away from the rest of the world, living alone in quiet solitude for countless years.

She lived deep in the forest, far from mortal eyes, constantly watching over the balance of the Triforce day in and day out. As payment for her great work, the goddesses granted the sorceress the incredible gift to see through time and space itself, glimpsing at each and every era of mortal history. Through her magic, she could see across the ages, able to read the fates of all who ever lived, but, as she had been instructed by the goddesses, never interfering.

That is, until a unique soul caught her attention.

The soul of the hero of legend, eternally reborn whenever Hyrule's need was greatest. With immense interest, the sorceress watched each of the hero's many lives and incarnations, observing each daring feat and brave escapade that he accomplished in his missions to save the land from the forces of darkness. Never before had the sorceress seen a soul that shined so brightly, one that was so pure and full of light and courage. She felt herself drawn to it, captivated by its unbreakable, uncontainable strength and goodness. And as time went on, that interest grew to admiration, and that admiration soon turned to affection.

And yet, through her powers, the sorceress should have seen that the hero was bound to another: the soul of the princess of the land, the reincarnated goddess Hylia herself. Instead, she saw only a soul that was unlike any she had ever known.

However, the sorceress was not entirely ignorant to the princess' presence in the heroes' lives. In each and every age, she was always there, always beside him; and, in almost every era, it was the princess whom the hero developed deep affections for, affections that were always returned in full. Upon seeing this, the sorceress grieved deeply, for she knew that, because of the heavy burden upon her shoulders, she could never be with the soul of the hero she had grown to love so dearly. Not only was time, space and responsibility keeping them apart; so too was the princess.

And, while the sorceress was preoccupied, a fragment of darkness, locked in its prison, saw an opportunity.

The darkness, cunning and perceptive, took notice of the sorceress's sorrow and envy, and it knew just how to utilize those bitter feelings to its advantage. The whispering darkness soon began to worm its way into her heart, its soft, deceptive voice promising her everything that she desired: _"Do as I say…" _the darkness vowed to the unknowing sorceress. _"And you shall finally be with your beloved hero… forever…" _

This promise drew the sorceress in, and the thought that she could finally have the hero all to herself enticed her immensely. She willingly allowed the darkness into her soul, and once it was there, it pushed the light away and warped her affection and curiosity into a perverse lust and a desperate desire to possess the legendary hero's soul.

Of course, what the sorceress could not have known was that this evil had desires of its own… To use the Triforce to resurrect itself and conquer Hyrule once again, as well as taking revenge upon the soul of the hero who had locked it away.

Having pushed the light away from her heart, the darkness compelled the sorceress to open the Gate of Souls, a pathway that connected each era of Hyrule's history together, the doorway of time itself. Monsters from across the ages poured through the gate, bringing ruin to the land of Hyrule once more. And the sorceress, corrupted by both the encroaching darkness as well as the twisted lust of her own heart, began to plot her conquest of both Hyrule and its hero…

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><p><strong>Yay! So we're getting the ball rolling with all this lore aren't we? :D Sorry if this was a little lore intensive though, I just wanted to get the overall prologue out of the way so we'll know what to expect going in. Next chapter and all of the ones after it, we'll have actual characters, dialogue, plot and everything else (including the smashing action that HW is known for). But anyway, if you enjoyed this and would like to see more followfavorite and don't forget to REVIEW please! (BTW, this does by NO means mean that I am putting my Bound Destinies Trilogy on hold! This is just a fun little side project that I felt like doing so yeah!) Anyway, until next time! :D**


	2. The Armies of Ruin

_Ok, well I know its sorta been a long time coming, but here it is! The first actual chapter of Hyrule Warriors! Yay! For our first one, we have mostly character development, introductions, plot building and some foreshadowing, plus fleshing out the intro of the game a whole lot cause I needed to. But before we begin I would just like to say how AMAZED I am by all of the support you guys have given me. 29 FOLLOWERS FOR 1 CHAPTER!? DANG! I can't even begin to express how stupefied I am by that, and so I promise to make this as awesome as I can! And so, I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has followed/favorited so far: BluBlazeDragon, Burning Light and Crystal, Calmia Mind, Darknight48, DarthBane15, Delicate Strawberry Sama, Elemental-Aura, Farli30519, Flameshield, GerudoSpirit, JazalGoldmane, Larsmen, Lovely girl 10, Marasia, MeIIonCoIIie, Nintendoman01, RandomButLoved, Silver2350, WAM-Hope, Zelda the Wise, bobolobo, carlosraruto, erico637, gamer55551, jridge, kittykruger, whitworth5274, x102reddragon, .tsubasa19, CupcakePride101, GO ZeldaXLink, Legendoffun, Legionary Prime, ToxicChey13, espeonlover, and kittykruger! I seriously cannot say it enough, but THANK YOU! And, thank you also to all 16 of you who reviewed so far! _

_**MeIIonCoIIie:** That face... its intrigued, is it not? ;D_

_**Lovely girl 10:** Thanks! I plan on diverting from the gave in some places, but I do intend on sticking with the basic storyline, just so you'll know what to expect._

_**Legionary Prime:** I love love LOVE the designs for Link and Zelda in HW! I agree in saying they are my favorite depictions of them ever! :D_

_**Zelda the Wise:** Thanks! And I'm sure you can catch up before I get towards the end, since it will probably be quite a while! And yes, I do plan on giving the plot a great deal more attention and beefing it up quite a bit... ;)_

_**WAM-Hope:** Yeah, that's exactly why I want to write a novelization of it! And oh believe me; while the main ship here will be Zelink, I do plan on finding ways to throw in some snippets of Link/Cia (because that's one of my new OTPs personally!) and some Link/Lana as well... ;)_

_**RandomButLoved**: I liked that there was a narrator in the game; thought it was a nice change of pace and I hope it opens up more doors for voice acting in future Zelda games. And yeah, basically I plan on combining stuff from the game with my own original ideas, so I hope you like it. And as far as Cia goes, imagine how I depicted Veress or Veran and just up the crazy levels like 100% and throw in a stalker crush for Link while you're at it (just kidding! I do plan on making Cia's character deep and interesting though!) And yes! I have read Heartbreaker and absolutely loved it! _

_**Catnip101**: So am I! :D_

_**Marasia**: I think so too! I hope you'll enjoy!_

_**Valkyrie Elysia:** Well, here you go! :D_

_**Nintendoman01:** Oh yes it certainly is wonderful! :D I could pretty much play it forever (or at least until I finish Adventure mode, which I still haven't done!)_

_**GO ZeldaXLink:** Yeah, I loved Hyrule Warriors from the moment I saw that first trailer months ago! Haha! And as far as W&C goes, I plan on working on it after I post this, then L&S, and then another chapter for this, sorta in that order, or depending on whatever I really feel like writing. _

_**CupcakePride101:** Yeah, I was careful not to spoil the game for myself until I played it, and so I was quite surprised in several parts! But thanks! Hope you enjoy!_

_**silverhawk88:** If I could think of a way to add it after L&S, that would be totally awesome. Possibly writing a sequel set in the aftermath of HW as a fourth entry into the trilogy could be interesting, but as this stands, its pretty much just a novelization and unconnected to the trilogy... :P _

_**GerudoSpirit**: Thanks! You kinda can't help but feel bad for Cia... :(_

_**Legendoffun**: So do I! XD_

_**DarthPhoenixFire:** I love HW too! Hope you enjoy! :D_

_Wooo, that took a while, but it was worth it for you guys! Again, thank you all so much! I know that you will love this story just as much as I already love writing it (seriously this first chapter was a BLAST to write!). And so, before we begin, I'd like to say that the very beginning of this chapter is set like ten years before HW, with adorable little kid Zelda because I thought that would be a cute intro. And so, without any further ado, LET'S GET STARTED!_

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><p><em>Chapter 1: Armies of Ruin<em>

The little princess of Hyrule patiently sat in bed as she awaited her guardian to come tuck her in as she did every night. No more than eight, the young royal kept her eyes trained on the door of her room as she folded her hands above her soft, downy covers and hummed her lullaby to herself to pass the time. Her Sheikah guardian always seemed to like to keep her waiting on the nights that she had promised to tell her a story, but the princess didn't mind. After all, she knew that it would be worth the wait.

Soon enough, the princess's most devoted attendant soon arrived, much to her uncontainable delight. The Sheikah woman gave the princess a warm smile in greeting before striding over to her bedside and taking a seat as she usually did. "Good evening, princess," she said, noticing how the royal had begun shifting anxiously in her sheets. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Impa!" the princess huffed impatiently, pouting at the mere suggesting of sleep. "You promised you'd tell me a story first!"

Impa grinned and nodded, knowing that there was no getting out of any sort of promise she made to the princess. "Yes, I did," the Sheikah woman, who was only in her early twenties, replied. "What story would you like to hear, Zelda? A tale from the Gorons? Perhaps an old Zora fable? Maybe an ancient Kokiri rhyme?"

"No, no!" Zelda shook her head, her bright blue eyes alight with excitement, as she had already thought this through. "Tell me a story passed down by the Sheikah!"

"A Sheikah tale, hm?" Impa grinned slightly, knowing that stories handed down through her race were quite popular with the young princess. "Well, I might be able to remember one that we pass down every hundred years or so… If you'd like to hear it."

"Yes!" the princess exclaimed with a huge smile, clasping her hands together with excitement, for she knew that her guardian always told the best stories. "Please, Impa, tell it to me!"

"Very well then," the Sheikah guardian said as she prepared to tell her tale. "There are many tales passed down by the Sheikah tribe, but this is one of our most treasured and ancient," she began somewhat dramatically, appealing to the young princess's wide imagination. "It is foretold that there is a constant cycle that repeats throughout Hyrule's history, one that binds two souls together to untie against another. It all began when this land was besieged by a vicious attack from a great evil, centuries ago. Darkness covered all, but when it seemed as though hope had died and the hour of doom was at hand, a great hero arose and restored peace and light to the frightened people. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he pushed the dark one away, and, with the aid of the princess of Hyrule, sealed its dark power. However, the dark one was indignant; it refused to give up its claim to power so easily. And so, it cursed the souls of the hero and the princess, vowing that it would constantly be reborn alongside them, until it could wipe them both out of existence. And indeed, the hero and the princess were born again, many times throughout Hyrule's history, along with the evil one. And yet in every age, they managed to defeat the evil one and give peace to Hyrule once more, never failing in their shared destiny of keeping the land safe. And would you like to know how?"

"Yes!" Zelda said with wide eyes, completely engrossed in Impa's tale.

"Because they had each other," she concluded with a small smile. "Through the deep bond that they shared, they were able to triumph over any and all darkness they faced. And because of that, they were able to bring hope to Hyrule in each and every age."

The princess smiled contently upon hearing such lovely, romantic notions, though she understood that the story was over and it was time for bed as Impa rose to stand. "Goodnight, your highness," the Sheikah guardian said with a soft smile as she tucked the princess securely into bed.

However, as Impa dimmed the candlelight on the nightstand and turned to leave the room, Zelda called out to her with one last question. "Impa?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Do you think I'll meet a hero someday and restore peace to Hyrule with him?" she asked a bit drowsily, though the thought of being involved in something so romantic and heroic enticed her innocent excitement.

Impa frowned slightly, knowing what else came along with such things, things that she had not told Zelda for she was too young to hear them now. "Perhaps someday…" she said ambiguously as she closed the door, leaving the princess to sleep for the night before she let out a long sigh and muttered her last statement to herself. "But I pray that you will never have to face such a cruel fate, child…"

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><p><em>Ten Years Later…<em>

The grassy meadow was filled with both warm, luscious sunlight and the light, lofty sounds of harp strings trilling through the area. The princess of Hyrule smiled contentedly to herself as she gently played her lullaby upon her beloved golden instrument, cherishing the rich sound that it produced as she looked around her, seeing all of the beauty she was surrounded with. Her kingdom was truly a sight to behold, with its rolling green hills, distant, high-peaked mountains, pure blue streams, and the shining silhouette of the castle's pristine towers rising high several miles away. With a sigh of satisfaction, Zelda closed her eyes and breathed it all in, wishing that she could freeze this beautiful scene of her peaceful, prosperous land in time forever, since this was the sort of Hyrule she had always known throughout all her eighteen years.

However, as the princess had her eyes closed, she failed to see the brilliant blue skies suddenly blacken and a vile presence begin to overtake the land. She didn't notice these things until the sounds of nature singing along her harp's song suddenly silenced all at once, and that the ground beneath her feet began to rumble subtly. Troubled by this drastic change, Zelda ceased her song and opened her eyes, seeing the shadows that had covered the land all around her, filling her heart with an unspeakable fear. For some reason, her gaze was directed away from her harp and instead guided to the fields stretched out before her, where she was greeted with a horrifying sight.

A great expanse of pitch-black shadows covered the land for as far as the eye could see, banishing all forms of light and instead bringing with it a cloud of darkness and evil. Zelda gasped as she noticed that this cloud of malevolence was not stationary; with each passing second, it was growing closer and closer to her position, threatening to swallow her up as well, along with the rest of her kingdom.

The princess's flight instinct immediately kicked in, even though she had no idea what this darkness was or where it had come from. Her harp slipped out of her grasp as she began to back away from it warily, and the moment she realized that the shadows had no intentions of stopping, she turned on her heel and began to run away from it for the sake of her life, not even seeing as the darkness ate up her treasured harp as it lay on the ground behind her.

Her heart pounding with adrenaline, Zelda raced away from the inky blackness, glancing behind her every now and then to measure the distance that separated her from it. Fear and dread coursed through her veins as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but it was quickly becoming apparent that would not be fast enough to escape this encroaching darkness. All too soon, the shadows swelled menacingly above her, before they began to crash down upon her like an ocean wave. The princess let out a scream of terror as she felt the cold tendrils of darkness pull her down, until they finally consumed her and her kingdom entirely.

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><p>Zelda's frightened scream carried over from the world of her nightmare into the waking world as she awakened with a start, springing upright into a sitting position upon her bed. Her breathing was still small and shallow as she looked around her bedroom with wide eyes, looking for any signs of the despicable darkness that haunted her dreams, but finding only the soft morning light streaming in through her balcony window.<p>

Before the princess could even collect her thoughts, her door burst open, startling her even more.

"Princess! What's wrong?! Are you alright?!" her concerned guardian asked, looking around the room as she tightly gripped the small knife that she always kept on hand in place of her giant blade and glanced around for any signs of possible danger.

Zelda let out a sigh as she relaxed, running a hand through her long blonde locks. "Yes, Impa, I am alright…" she said, trying to convince herself more than Impa. "But… I have to admit that I am worried… That same nightmare that I told you about keeps haunting me…"

Impa nodded solemnly, understanding the princess's concern. "I see…" she said, taking a step closer to the Zelda's bedside. "And you say that these shadows that chase you in your dream, they get faster and faster each time, yes?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, every time," she said, biting her lip anxiously. "And this time, they even caught up with me! I wish I knew what they meant…"

"Hm…" the Sheikah guardian mused thoughtfully, before coming to a conclusion that she hoped was false. "An omen, perhaps, of dark times ahead for Hyrule…"

"Dark times?" the princess wondered with a frown, praying that her kingdom would not have to face any such hardships or troubles. If there was one thing that Zelda absolutely hated, it was having to see her kingdom or her people under any sort of threat. It was for that reason that she had asked Impa to train her in the ways of battle several years ago, so that she would not sit idly by while Hyrule was under siege. The princess wanted to be prepared in case she ever had to fight for her beloved kingdom's safety.

Impa also frowned upon noticing Zelda's worried expression. "Do not fret, your highness," she said consolingly, placing a hand on the young royal's shoulder. "Whatever is about to befall Hyrule, remember that there is hope for this land, no matter what…"

The princess smiled slightly upon hearing this, though her fears were still not set to ease, as the Sheikah guardian could tell. Ever since she was appointed to the position as Zelda's caretaker and advisor years ago, Impa's highest priority was keeping the princess both safe and happy, two things that were not difficult tasks considering the fact that Zelda had always been kind, intelligent and well-mannered since her childhood. And yet, she had always hoped that the princess would never have to face the same darkness that her ancestors had battled against across the ages, knowing that it was an incredibly dangerous and daunting task indeed. But fortunately, Impa knew that if Zelda was going to be one of the fated ones, at the very least she would not be alone in counteracting this darkness.

"However," the Sheikah guardian continued after a beat of silence. "If your premonitions are indeed true, perhaps it is finally time…"

"Oh, Impa, you don't mean…?" Zelda trailed off, already understanding from the countless stories that her guardian had told her throughout her childhood.

"Yes," Impa said gravely, already glancing towards the princess's desk across the room, where a set of rather iconic clothing rested, folded neatly. Zelda also directed her gaze there, looking upon the clothes that had been passed down protected by the royal family for generation. "Perhaps it is time that we locate… him…"

The princess kept her gaze locked on the clothes as she slowly and silently slipped out of bed and came to stand near the desk along with her guardian. Both of them said nothing for what seemed like ages as they looked upon the clothes and thought about how important they were and exactly what they symbolized. However, before too long, Impa finally took notice of the piece of blue fabric peeking out from underneath the green tunic on top, something that aroused her curiosity, though Zelda already knew well what it was.

In confusion, the Sheikah guardian gently pulled the long strip of blue out of the pile, holding the fabric in her hands and noting how it was newly-sown compared to the rest of the ancient clothes. "Zelda…" she began with a hint of exasperation, raising an eyebrow at the princess. "What is this?"

A small smile played upon Zelda's light pink lips as she looked upon her creation, admittedly proud of the gold and red stitch work of the royal crest she had labored many hours over towards the bottom of the blue stretch of cloth. "A scarf…" she said somewhat sheepishly, noting the unamused look that Impa was giving her, for the Sheikah guardian always hated breaking tradition. "Oh, come on, Impa!" she protested, not even needing Impa to say anything to know that she didn't approve. "I worked so hard on it! I just thought it might be a nice change, you know? A way to differentiate him from the ones of the past, maybe even a sort of tribute in a way. What harm could it possibly do?"

The Sheikah guardian sighed and shook her head, though she could not hide her growing grin. "I suppose you're right," she said as she folded the scarf neatly and tucked it under the tunic with care. "After all, it matters little what he wears as long as he bears the right qualities. Hyrule will need his strength if it is to be threatened by darkness once more…" Solemnly, Impa turned towards the stained glass windows lining the walls and looked at the colored light streaming in through them. Zelda followed her gaze and let out a soft sigh, hoping that the shadows that haunted her dream would not destroy the light that her kingdom needed to survive.

"Which is exactly why we must make haste and find him…" Impa continued with finality, confirming Zelda's thoughts and fears all at once. "The reborn Spirit of the Hero…"

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><p>Impa sighed inaudibly as she glanced ahead towards Zelda, who walked a few steps before her. She had been opposed to this suggestion ever since the princess had mentioned it, but she knew that there would be no arguing with the headstrong royal. The Sheikah guardian couldn't fathom why the princess took so much pride in the Hylian army; after all, most of the soldiers that composed it were little more than spineless cowards, far too afraid to get into any kind of fray for the sake of the kingdom and its royal family. Only the highest ranking officers, those who directly served under Impa, were actually considered to be of any worth, since they had years of experience behind them, and they had been trained to leap into battle without a moment's doubt.<p>

And yet, the elite forces were not the group that Zelda had proposed looking for the next chosen hero amongst. She had asked Impa if they could go out among the new recruits, the freshest faces of the army, many of whom still did not properly know how to even wield a sword yet. The Sheikah guardian had not questioned the princess's judgment quite yet, but she knew that if trouble was indeed about to befall Hyrule, then it would be better if they found the chosen hero sooner than later, and certainly he wouldn't be among the lackluster newest of the new.

Glancing down over the side of the wall of the upper walkway they were striding along, Impa silently observed the new recruits along with Zelda, trying to figure out what she might have seen in any of them. She could tell from the princess's thoughtful expression that she was seeing something that she wasn't amongst the ranks of relatively young men as they trained within the lower courtyard. And yet Zelda's light blue eyes were hopeful and full of examination, watching with careful interest as the practiced their sword play and skills, as un-honed and basic as they were.

"Princess, are you quite certain about this?" Impa finally spoke up, her doubt clearly showing in her tone. "They're only new recruits, barely even enlisted. I doubt that we will find any fully-fledged heroes here."

"Maybe not," Zelda said, keeping her eyes trained on the soldiers as she spoke. "But what can it hurt to look?"

The Sheikah guardian sighed with a frown, casting another gaze upon the constantly training troops. "Forgive me for saying so, princess, but I believe we would be wiser looking elsewhere," she said dismissively, shaking her head as she turned her red-eyed gaze away from the recruits.

The princess frowned to herself upon hearing her guardian's doubts, knowing that they were founded and yet she wanted to believe that they would find someone of worth amongst the group of stalwart soldiers she saw before her. Something inside of her, be it instinct or something else, had told her that this was the right place to look, even if she had not found a sign of any sort of chosen hero yet. Perhaps her instincts had been wrong, but she could have sworn by the feeling that she had gotten earlier that she was exactly on the mark.

However, no more than a second later, both Zelda and Impa were broken out of their respective thoughts as a sudden clatter sounding out from nearby caught their attention. Intrigued by this interruption from the humdrum of the usual sounds of the training yard, the princess ran ahead of Impa, who was still following behind her and thinking little of the commotion. With wondering eyes, Zelda leaned over the stone wall of the walkway and looked down, watching with interest at the scene playing out before her.

A group of recruits was gathered near the eastern wall of the courtyard, crowded together in a wide circle as they appeared to be spectating on a sparring match. Two figures stood apace from one another, baring practice weapons and prepared to duel under the supervision of a training captain. Such a scene normally would have not peaked the princess's attention so much, but she found two things that specifically prompted her to continue watching: the fact that the other soldiers were making such a commotion over this spar for some reason, and the fact that one of the two soldiers who were about to fight caught her eye for a number of reasons.

Even from far away, Zelda could see that he was a young man, about her age. What struck her from a first glance though was not only the fact that, unlike his peers, he chose not to wear the traditional soldier's helmet along with his uniform, but also his confident posture and certain stance; the way he held his wooden sword and shield was perfect, as if he had years of practice, and before the skirmish even began, the princess could already tell that he would emerge the victor.

With keen interest, Zelda kept her eyes trained on this young man and nothing else, to the point that she did not even hear the shouts of encouragement from the other soldiers cheering from the sidelines. Instead, she merely watched as the other soldier rushed towards him with adequate speed, though the focus in the young man's pose was clearly evident. In a movement so fast the princess barely saw it, he raised his shield and firmly blocked the other soldier's spear, the tip of it colliding with the wooden surface squarely. With solid strength, the young man pushed the spear back with his shield and, as the other soldier swung broadly towards him, he leapt high into the air, with an agility and skill that surprised even the princess, who had years of fighting experience herself. And finally, with a crisp, powerful shout, the young man pounced down upon his opponent, his wooden sword meeting squarely with the other soldier's metal helmet with enough force to knock him unconscious instantly.

Zelda's jaw dropped in amazement as she watched the young man skillfully back flip away from his now-defeated opponent, having never seen such raw talent in one of her soldiers before. She was completely bewildered by this young man, who certainly had to be a fresh recruit, and yet he wielded a blade as though he was a master. As the young man sheathed his practice sword and put away his shield, the princess continued to watch him carefully, only now hearing some of the calls of congratulations that the other soldiers were sending towards him. "Great job, Link!" one of the soldiers called out, finally giving Zelda a name to place with this intriguing young man.

"Link…" she whispered thoughtfully to herself, realizing that his name sounded familiar, though she could not place exactly where.

However, it was in that moment that Link just so happened to glance up at Zelda's direction and see that the princess had been staring at him. For what seemed like ages, their eyes met, and both of their minds went completely blank.

Now that she could see him directly, the princess realized that not only was this new recruit exceedingly skilled, but she had to admit that he was very handsome as well. He had strikingly light blue eyes, sharp and very intense to match the rest of his good-looking features. His golden hair, uncovered by any sort of helmet, was naturally windblown mostly to one side and slightly disheveled thanks to the brief skirmish he had just won. As Zelda had previously noted, he had a strong, yet lean, solid frame, and from what she could guess from looking down at him from above, he was most likely taller than her. But nonetheless, the princess was fascinated with him for some reason, and a part of her wanted to rush down into the courtyard immediately and ask him where he had learned to fight so well, even though she knew that Impa most likely wouldn't let her get her hopes too high.

Despite the fact that he had only been within the ranks of the Hylian army for about a month or so, Link, like all loyal Hylians, instantly knew who Princess Zelda was the moment he saw her, and he was completely amazed that she was staring directly at him. The young recruit did not take a large amount of pride in his abilities, but he did have some fighting experience from before joining the army and it had served him well so far, though he never thought that he would have even been skilled enough to catch the eye of Hyrule's princess. And though he knew that it was most likely an offence against her royal highness to stare at her directly, he found that he was unable to remove his gaze from her as she looked upon him. Word of Princess Zelda's beauty spread far and wide across the kingdom, but no rumors could compare to how lovely she was truly was in the flesh. Her light azure eyes were gentle, yet captivating, and the rest of her features were soft against her flawless pale complexion. Her long, sunshine blonde hair flowed down her back and glistened in the morning sun, its ends tied up into a neat braid behind her and her golden tiara resting upon her head, signifying her position. She was clad in clothes that were suited for both battle and for royalty, though the only parts of it that Link could really see because of the wall she was peering at him over from where her golden shoulder plates and sturdy chest armor.

At the moment, both of them expressed the same look of awe and interest; Zelda's came from the fight she had just witnessed and the skill that she had just seen Link display, and Link's came from the fact that Princess Zelda herself was for some reason paying attention to an inexperienced recruit like him.

However, their tight gaze was soon broken apart as the sound of fast approaching footsteps sounded across the walkway that Zelda and Impa were on. Both women turned to see one of the captains rushing towards them breathlessly, falling to the ground before the princess and bowing low, as was customary.

"Your highness!" the captain began between heavy breaths, his voice frazzled and nervous. "A horde of monsters is approaching Hyrule Castle!"

"What?!" Impa exclaimed, exchanging a disbelieving glance with Zelda, whose look of awe had changed to one of immediate horror, before instantly switching to one of resolve.

"It looks as though the time has come sooner than we expected," she said to her guardian gravely, though she refused to let darkness consume her kingdom. She was going to nip this threat in the bud, before any innocent lives were lost and before any part of her kingdom could see disaster. "Impa, prepare the troops for battle immediately!"

"Yes, princess," the Sheikah guardian nodded solemnly, turning to the captain and giving him a signal nod to spread the warning to the rest of the soldiers. The captain scrambled to his feet and raced off, and Impa followed not too far behind him.

Zelda's expression hardened as she thought of the potential danger her kingdom was facing at this very moment, but she knew that it could be stopped. There was always hope for Hyrule, not matter what evil it may face, a fact that the princess knew well. However, before she left to go prepare for the oncoming battle herself, she cast one more small glance towards the training yard, noticing how the rest of the soldiers had caught sight of her standing upon the battlement and observing them, a sight that was rare for recruits to see indeed.

Link continued to look up at the princess, this time noticing the worry hidden in her expression though, like the rest of the trainees, he had no idea what was about to befall Hyrule yet. "Whoa, isn't that the princess?" one of the other recruits nearby asked, finally causing Link to look away from Zelda for the first time in a while. All of the other soldiers seemed equally as amazed as he was that the princess of Hyrule herself had come to observe them, though of course, none of them could even begin to guess why.

"What's she wasting her time here with us for?" another trainee wondered, though by now Link had turned his attention back to Zelda, who looked directly at him once more and gave him what looked like a brief, small, yet confident smile before turning and walking away, a smile that she had hoped would convey a message that the young recruit had not managed to catch. A message that simply said: _"You might be the one."_

* * *

><p>The elite forces of Hyrule's army stood at attention before the Castle's outer gates, but Zelda and Impa standing before them as they gazed out onto the field, immediately catching sight of the approaching threat. The skies surrounding the dark army that was heading straight towards the castle had turned grey and cloudy, most likely due to the aura of evil that was put off from it. The horde itself was composed of innumerable monsters, from bokoblins, stalchildren, lizalfos, poes, and more. The princess strained her eyes to see through the thick cloud of shadows that surrounded their bloodthirsty legion, but she could just barely make out the shapes of two mysterious figures rising above the creatures, most likely the leaders of this sudden attack. Zelda gripped her polished rapier tightly, but all the same, she refused to let this horde do any damage to her kingdom. With a grave expression, she turned to face her own army behind her, hoping to boost their morale and determination before the battle began.<p>

"Go bravely into battle, my loyal knights," she said, speaking with benevolent authority. "Fight with valiance and with honor, and no matter what happens, do not give up until your final breath if that is what it takes to keep Hyrule safe!"

The soldiers cheered in response to her brief, encouraging speech, and, upon Impa's command, they rushed forth into the field, racing towards the enemy troops with their swords and spears raised high. Zelda and Impa lingered behind for a moment, watching before the two armies clashed and the battle began.

"What if they are not enough to combat this threat alone?" the Sheikah guardian asked the princess, referring to the army.

Zelda simply shook her head, her thoughts starting to drift back to the recruit she had watched earlier, Link, and wondering if he would be ready to fight until his last breath like the rest of her elite soldiers. "If that is the case and Hyrule truly does need a hero..." she said with confidence, poising her rapier before heading off into the fray herself. "Then one will certainly appear."

* * *

><p>A feeling of both dread and fear filled the training yard of the new recruits, who had all made sure to barricade themselves safely within its sturdy walls as to avoid the threat that they had just been warned about. For most of the young men who made up the trainee ranks, they had never seen the heat of battle before, and most were too inexperienced and afraid to even want to at this point. Save for only one among them.<p>

Link paced anxiously around the courtyard, his sword and shield already strapped to his back and ready for battle, as he awaited for one of their commanding officers to arrive and give the recruits further orders. Though the young trainee had never actually been in a real battle before, for some reason he felt strangely ready to go into this fray, even with the limited proper training he had received. Of course, he had been taught how to use a sword from the time he was very young thanks to his uncle, who had once been a high-ranking captain in the Hylian army himself and had been the young man's inspiration for enlisting when he was old enough. Link aspired to be just as good of a soldier as his now-deceased uncle had been, but like everyone else, he knew that he had to start at the bottom and work his way up.

However, even despite Link's own willingness to fight, it was quite apparent that the rest of his peers were not as enthusiastic as they stood around the training yard, all of them engaged in confused, nervous conversation with one another. The young recruit was able to hear some of their hushed questions, and the amount of doubt and fear in them made him seriously wonder if he was the only one among them ready to fight.

"Those monsters won't be able to get in here, right?!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine! The elite troops will be able to handle them easily!"

"So… I guess we just stay here and wait to hear what happened, then?"

Upon hearing such inactive questions like these, Link began to realize that there was a large chance that he might just have to go out onto the battlefield alone, without his fellow trainees or even a commanding officer, who were taking their sweet time in coming to give them any sort of orders about what to do next. As far as he could see, none of the other soldiers were even armed whatsoever, making him wonder even more what the recruit captain was waiting for. But nonetheless, Link knew that he could not simply wait around for further orders forever; if he didn't act quickly, the battle would soon be over, and there would be no way of knowing if the Hylian forces had won it or not. He couldn't help but think back to his encounter with the princess earlier, and how she had looked at not only him, but all of the recruits with both confidence and assurance, a look that said she believed that they would serve Hyrule greatly someday. Princess Zelda herself believed in them, she believed in _him_, and the young recruit was not about to let her down.

With resolve and purpose in his step, Link began to head towards the exit of the courtyard, knowing there was no more time to waste. However, before he left, a group of his fellow recruits happened to notice him, and they didn't hesitate to question him on it. "Hey, Link!" one of the trainees called out rather loudly, breaking up the rest of the conversation in the courtyard and drawing everyone's attention towards the young recruit. "What do you think you're doing with that sword and shield?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Link turned to face his fellow recruits, seeing the confusion well on their expressions. "I'm going to fight," he said firmly, drawing his blade in one swift movement.

The trainees all exchanged sided glances as they frowned at him. It was no secret that Link was among the youngest of the newest batch of recruits, most of whom were only about eighteen or nineteen. And so, in reaction to his bold statement, most of the other recruits simply laughed in mocking, knowing that the young man had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" another recruit asked with a teasing grin. "They say some of those monsters can rough a guy up pretty good."

"I don't care!" Link exclaimed insistently, not even acknowledging that his courage might have been overtaking his sense of better judgment. "We have to do something! We can't just sit here and wait for them to break into the castle!"

"_What _did you say, soldier?" the deep, unamused voice of the recruit captain sounded as he finally emerged from the other side of the courtyard. The other trainees all hushed their conversations and stood at attention, though they all watched with interest from the corners of their eyes as the captain slowly approached the young recruit, all of them knowing that he was about to be in some serious trouble.

"I said, we can't just sit here and do nothing," Link replied with the slightest hint of defiance in his tone, even though he knew he was treading on uneven ground. Even despite the fact that he fought levels ahead of most of his peers, he often came across as somewhat disrespectful to his superiors, a testament to his independent nature. "Hyrule is under attack, and its our job to protect it."

"Absolutely not!" the captain commanded firmly, crossing his arms as he frowned at the young man. "Lady Impa has commanded that no one except for the elite forces are permitted to go into this battle! And besides, none of you men are experienced enough to last one minute out there. We're staying put until further notice. That's an order."

"You can't be serious!" Link protested, knowing that simply waiting around was both cowardly and ineffective. "What if they need help out there!?"

"Then it's not our place to intervene," the captain said gruffly, sending the young recruit a warning glare. "The elite forces have been through worse battles than this. I'd watch myself if I were you, soldier. Otherwise, that attitude will get you in more trouble than you'd know how to handle. Now, go put that sword away and wait with everyone else."

Link glanced down for a moment, a part of him inclined to listen to his commanding officer, but another, larger part of him refusing to. He wanted to fight, and not just for the sake of fighting; he wanted to go out into the battle raging just outside the castle walls because it was the right thing to do. A sense of unknown justice was burning within him, and he knew better than to just ignore it because someone told him to. "No," he said quietly, glaring up towards the captain defiantly.

"What was that, _boy_?" the captain asked with obvious anger for the young recruit's continued display of insubordination.

"I said _no_," Link repeated louder, so all of his fellow recruits could hear him. They all looked to one another with wide eyes, knowing that no one disobeyed the direct command of an officer. "I won't just sit around while Hyrule is in danger. I'm going out there to fight, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

The captain's glare deepened as he watched the young recruit grip his sword ever tighter in his hand. "If you take one more step towards that battlefield, then consider yourself out of this army for good!" he threatened loudly, unable to contain his impatience and fury any longer.

Link said nothing for a moment as he took another glance towards the rest of the recruits, who were all staring at him with wide eyes of awe. He knew that the captain was not bluffing. Insubordination was something that was not tolerated within the Hylian army whatsoever, but at that moment, Link didn't care. He knew that, even despite his dreams of following in his uncle's footsteps, he could not just sit idly by while both Hyrule and its princess were in danger. We was determined to fight, even if it was blatantly against orders and even if he lost his life in the process. "Then I guess I'm out," he said with finality, succinctly turning on his heel and walking away with sword in hand, not even bothering to look back on what he had just left behind.

* * *

><p><strong>*passes out because Link is a sexy boss who ain't got time for no one's crap* But seriously folks, you have no idea how fun that last part was to write! I'd like to think (due to the Dark Link cutscene in the palace of souls) that HW Link is the slightest bit overconfident and stubborn, but still heroic and courageous like we love him being, and that unique combination will totally be fun for me to write! And as for Zelda and Impa, I freaking LOVE the interactions between them! They're like besties and I love it! Anyway, as you can guess, the next chapter will be mostly action, though there will be some slight ship teases cause I need to get that Zelink ball rolling do I not? Hahahaha anyway, that's all for now. If you liked, followfavorite and REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks a ton! Until next time! :D**


	3. Under Siege

_Ok guys! Sorry this took so long to get up! Not only did I have my other stories to work on, but I've also been busy with midterms (which are now thankfully over!) But fear not! A new chapter has finally arrived! Huzzah! Now originally, I was going to have this chapter cover all of the first stage of the game, but i figured that I would just split it in half and give you guys something a lot quicker. And so, here it is. But before we begin, I would just like to thank all 64(!) of you who have followed and all 41(!) who have favorited! I'm not going to say everyone's names here cause that would take forever, but I just wanted to say THANKS SO MUCH! I still can't believe how popular this story has become already and we're only three chapters in! I am completely and utterly amazed, and I cannot say how much this warms my heart guys... especially the fact that this story has 41 REVIEWS! And so, let's get to them!_

_**MeIIonCoIIie**: Aw, thanks!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: You're welcome! :D_

_**RyuAgeha**: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're liking it!_

_**Legendoffun**: Yay! Thank you so much! You flatter me! :D _

_**Zelda the Wise:** Yeah, she is pretty adorable! And of course I had to give Link a rebellious side... I think its very sexy myself... ;D As far as my favorite character goes, I personally love playing as Sheik with her harp, Link with the fire rod or Master Sword, or Impa with her giant blade (I have a thing for ninja type fighting styles)_

_**KPgirl1227**: Don't worry! Zelda will take up her epic disguise soon! (I couldn't leave Sheik out of my story! She's one of my favorites!) And of course, I don't always plan on having the chapters focused on Link and Zelda (even if they are the main characters). There will be chapters focused on Impa, Lana, even Cia, as well as several others. After all, HW has such a great cast of characters and I plan on focusing on them all at some point!_

_**TheJediAvenger**: You already KNOW I want you to do more literalizing! :D_

**WHAM-Hope:** _I would say Impa (as far as this story goes) is about in her earlier 30's, since she doesn't really look that old (I guess white hair is a Sheikah heredity thing!) And no, my main ship here is Link/Zelda, but what I mean is that there will be one sided ones for the others, like in a way that Lana and Cia both love him, but they know he'll end up with Zelda so yeah. Though there will come some points in the story where the ship between either Link/Lana or Link/Cia will become more blatant, though no spoilers for now!_

_**Marasia**: Oh yes he is... :) Glad you like it!_

_**CupcakePride101**: Glad you liked little Zelda, as well as Link being defiant! And yeah, that was one of the most interesting things about Link in HW to me. I dunno, something about him being overconfident is really attractive to me, but not to the point that he's annoyingly stubborn or bullheaded. And yeah, I agree as far as shipping Zelda and Impa. The crazy ships that some people come up with... :P_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked how I developed Link, Zelda and Impa! And I think you'll like the battle with Volga in this chapter! :D_

_**Multusvalde**: I'm glad you like it! And Proxi is basically a fairy who serves as Link's "Navi" for this game, and she speaks for him in battle dialogues in the game, though of course, in this story he can speak for himself, she she'll just tag along as his companion._

_**Lovely girl 10:** Glad you liked how I'm making Link here! He's only going to get better as we go along! :D_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, Proxi enters the story in this chapter actually! I'm very glad you're enjoying the story so far! _

_**Marina**: Glad you like it! And while this chapter has them meeting towards the end, its kinda short, but don't worry! The chapter after this one is pretty much them interacting for the first half, so yay!_

_**Sykdragon74193**: It certainly does! :D_

_**ultimateCC**: Yeah, even crazy nuts like Cia! And indeed, Link is the hero! :D_

_**ShadowNinja1011**: Thank you!_

_**Valkyrie Elysia:** You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

_**GO ZeldaXLink:** Glad you like him being a bit of a rebel, as well as everything else!_

_**Nintendoman01**: Thanks a ton!_

_**mega-dark:** Very pleased to know you like it and everything I added in! And yes, I do add on putting the extra weapons in, and I already have a few of their introductions planned already!_

_**DarthPheonixFire**: Hahaha, I bet they'll all be pretty surprised to see a new recruit suddenly be promoted to second of command (only behind Impa and Zelda) of the Hylian army! :D And I may be able to squeeze some MM and WW elements in here, since I was quite frankly disappointed that they were underrepresented (especially WW, I really wanted to play as Tetra!) _

_**GerudoSpirit**: Thanks! Glad you like it! :D_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: I put a lot of work into it, so I'm glad it shows! :D_

_Woo :P That was a TON of reviews! Like seriously, there were more than 20! I have honestly NEVER gotten so many reviews for one chapter before, and so all I can really say is keep em coming! Now, we can FINALLY get started!_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 2: Under Siege<em>

With deft, swift movements, Impa tore her giant blade through another crowd of bokoblins, slaughtering them all instantly. Her skill with the oversized weapon that she had bought from the Goron tribe baffled every one of the soldiers who served under her; she wielded into battle as if it were as light as a dagger, despite the fact that the thing weighed what felt like a ton to everyone but the Sheikah guardian. But what made Impa an even more deadly combatant was not just her prowess with a blade; it was also her mastery over the ancient art of Sheikah magic, a skill that very few knew how to defend against or fight off.

As Impa clicked her hefty knife back into its sheath as was her habit after each strike, she glared at the enemy forces that were still alive, having slipped past the faltering elite troops and heading her way. The skirmish had been raging on for at least a few hours now, though it was hard to tell time precisely in the heat of battle, and it was clear that the invading monsters were starting to gain the upper hand over the Hylian troops, much to Impa's aggravation. It was for this reason that Zelda had taken the soldiers fighting under her charge and headed towards the southwestern portion of Hyrule Field in order to defend the outposts and keeps there, while Impa stayed behind to defend the castle keep with her troops. Of course, when the princess had suggested this plan, the Sheikah guardian had her reservations about allowing her young ward to go off on her own, but at the same time, Impa also knew that Zelda was quite the competent fighter in her own regard as well. And so, the two women split up, hoping that they could cover more ground apart and rid the land of this threat before it got out of hand.

Upon having just torn her way through another horde of monsters, Impa let out an aggravated sigh to see that more were headed her way in their mindless pursuit to infiltrate the castle. She had no idea what their motive was for attacking, or even who was leading them, but one thing was certain: they were seemingly innumerable.

"Where did all these monsters come from?" the Sheikah guardian whispered to herself under her breath as she cast some Sheikah water magic upon her blade before taking a broad swipe at more of the creatures. However, upon clearing them out of the way, her attention was caught by one of the elite captains several yards away, standing near an entrance to a keep that happened to be blocked by large boulders.

"Lady Impa!" the captain shouted. "Princess Zelda headed this way, but the path is impassible!"

"Curses!" Impa scowled as she looked over and watched the meager attempt of some of the soldiers to push the heavy rocks out of the way. "We can't get to Princess Zelda with those boulders in the way! We'll have to find some way to get rid of them…"

However, the Sheikah guardian's focus was once again diverted as she picked up on the dying shrieks of several monsters coming from several feet behind her. She knew well that her troops were supposed to be guarding the bridge that led to the castle keep, as its protection was integral to making sure the castle did not fall into the hands of the enemy, but as she glanced behind her, she saw none of them fighting. She only saw one young man whom she had never seen before, clad in the uniform of a mere trainee and tearing through the intruding beasts such speed and skill that Impa had to do a double take to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Commander?" the Sheikah leader asked the officer closest to her, still watching the young man as he plowed through every beast in his way. "Who is that soldier over there?" she asked, nodding her head in his direction.

The commander shook his head with a frown. "I don't know, milady," he said, pausing to watch the young knight as well. "I've never seen him before. But from the looks of it… I think he might be a new recruit…"

"I thought I told the trainee captain to keep all of the recruits out of this battle!" Impa growled, though the last thing she had time for was to reprimand a simple recruit for not following her orders. "Just who is this soldier anyway…?" she muttered to herself as the commander went back into the outlying fray. However, the Sheikah guardian only had a moment more to watch the clearly talented young trainee before she found herself surrounded by monsters once more. Impa merely rolled her eyes at the pests before drawing her massive blade and cleaving through them once more.

* * *

><p>With a swift swipe, Link cleanly cut his blade across several of the bokoblins in front of him, ending their lives instantly. While some fresh soldiers might have had some reservations about taking down even as crude of creatures such as these, it didn't bother the young recruit whatsoever as he continued to tear through their forces, adrenaline and excitement flowed through his veins, filling him with electrifying energy. Though Link had never been in an actual battle before, he already knew that if this was like, he could certainly stand to fight in one again once this ordeal was over. Swordplay had always come easy to him ever since he was lad, and there was nothing more gratifying than being able to put his skills to use for the first time ever in an actual fray, as opposed to the limiting skirmishes he had been forced to fight during training.<p>

The last thing Link regretted was willingly walking out of the army, knowing that their ways were cowardly and selfish. All his former peers were concerned with was their own safety, hardly even giving a second thought to the danger that Hyrule was in as a whole. But Link was different; his first instinct was to help others, no matter what the cost to himself. Others had called him out about this before in the past, calling it a fault and a weakness, but his uncle, who had basically raised him from the time his parents had died when he was very young, never thought so. He had always told Link that being willing to act in the face of danger was anything but a weakness; it was courage.

The young recruit remembered these words as he tore through another group of nearby monsters, moving deftly and quickly so he could advance onto the next pod of foes. However, as he fought, he happened to glance over and spot a set of discerning red eyes staring at him from across the battlefield. Link almost stopped in his tracks when he realized that Impa, the general of the Hylian army herself, watching him as he fought, shocked that he was garnishing her attention and wondering if she was going to scold him for disobeying orders and not staying with the rest of the recruits. And yet, she didn't; she simply stared piercingly at him for another moment or two before she was swept up into the fight once more, and before a sudden, nearby plea for aid reached the recruit's ears.

"Someone! Please, help!" the tiny, high-pitched voice called out, though from where, Link was unable to immediately determine. "I'm too little to fight monsters!"

For a moment, the recruit thought that he was hearing the cries of a small child based on that comment, until he finally spotted its source only a few feet away from his position: a tiny blue fairy, less than the size of a human fist, flittering in a panic as she was bombarded by a band of attacking monsters. For a brief second, Link glanced around at the other nearby soldiers, wondering why they weren't trying to aid the helpless fairy or even pay her any mind at all while they were all engrossed in their own battles. But nonetheless, the recruit wasn't about to let her cries go unanswered. As the fairy called for help once more, Link quickly cut into the circle of creatures that were attacking her, cutting them all down in one fell swoop and saving the tiny creature from her plight.

The fairy simply stared agape in awe at the recruit for a moment as he glanced up in her direction. "Are you ok?" he asked her with concern, something that absolutely shocked the fairy.

"You… you can understand me?!" she asked in astonishment.

"Well, yeah," Link said in confusion, wondering what she meant by that. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Well… it's just that fairies and humans speak different languages…" the fairy said with a bewildered frown. "All except for the Great Fairies, who can speak both… How can you do that anyway?"

Link simply shrugged, equally as unknowing as she was. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, giving the fairy a small, cordial grin.

"Huh… Well, anyway, thanks a lot for saving me! I was in quite a pinch there!" the fairy said thankfully as she flew down closer to him. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Proxi! What's yours?"

"I'm Link," the recruit answered, but before he could say anything else, the spirited, energetic fairy was already talking a mile a minute.

"Link, huh?" she asked, her wings beating quickly as she circled around him quickly. "Unusual name! What's it mean? Where are you from? Oh, nice sword you got there! Looks like you're pretty good at using it too! What do you-"

"Ok, ok, calm down," Link interrupted her with a good-natured laugh. "You really like to talk, don't you?"

"Yeah… a little…" Proxi said with a bashful giggle. "Say, you're one of those knights, aren't you?"

"Not really," the recruit said with a somewhat aloof shrug. "I kind of quit or got kicked out of the army. It depends on how you look at it."

"Oh, a rebel, huh?" the fairy said with a teasing laugh. "I like that! So… do you mind having some company as you fight? I could tag along with you if you'd like. We could even be partners! What do you say?"

Link couldn't help but smile kindly at the sweet, though somewhat hyperactive fairy, knowing that he wouldn't mind having her company at all. "Sure, Proxi," he said, much to the tiny fairy's delight.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, clasping her little hands together with excitement. "Now, come on! Let's go beat some monsters!"

Link simply nodded in agreement with this as he held onto his sword tightly and raced off towards the nearest cluster of monsters, plowing through them with ease just like before as Proxi called encouragements to him all the while.

"Everyone!" Impa called out a few moments later to all of the nearby soldiers, catching Link's attention as well. "Advance towards the Abandoned Fort immediately! We'll have to go the long way to rendezvous with Princess Zelda!"

Since Link was relatively close to the fort that Impa had pointed out, he didn't waste any time following her orders. He rushed for the keep with Proxi in tow, clearing the path of monsters so that the other soldiers could follow, but since they were all caught up in their own battles, few of them did. However, the moment the young recruit stepped foot into the empty fort, he was met with the last thing he could have ever expected.

A dragon, large and fearsome, swooped into the keep from out of nowhere, it's large, sharp wings allowing it to dive down towards the open keep at a frightening speed. Both Link and Proxi watched with both awe and trepidation as the dragon flew right over their heads, before it suddenly vanished from sight altogether. However, as they turned towards the center of the courtyard once more, they were just as confused to see a man land squarely upon the ground, as if he had jumped off the dragon's back, or, an even more outlandish though, had transformed from dragon to human.

But all the same, Link held onto his sword tightly as the man rose to stand, revealing that he certainly had a dragon-like appearance to him. He appeared to be some sort of knight, muscular and strongly built, and clad in thick red armor that was certainly stylized to a dragon motif. His eyes were obscured by the metal helmet he wore, which was, of course, in the shape of the dragon, with a long tuft of crimson hair gliding out behind it in a ponytail. But what seemed to absolutely confirm that this man and the dragon were one and a same was the fact that as he stood, a burst of fire seemed to come out on his breath, as well as the flames that surrounded the pointed staff that he wielded. For a moment, the knight simply stood in place, looking around the keep that he believed to have conquered with a haughty expression of satisfaction, before noticing the young recruit who stood within its entryway, taking up a pose of opposition against him.

"_What _are you?" the dragon knight asked with clear disgust on his deep tone as he glowered with displeasure.

"I could ask you the same thing," Link said with a hint of defiance, ready to take on this new foe, even despite his lack of relative experience.

"You foolish little brat!" the knight hissed with simmering fury. "I am Volga, the dreaded dragon knight! Feared and immensely more powerful than any of your kind. And if you knew what was good for you, _child_, you would flee from my sight before I incinerate you to a crisp!"

Link simply shook his head as he stood his ground and remained resolute. He was tired of people, from his commanding officers to his peers to the intimidating knight before him now, underestimating him because of his youth, and because of that he had every intention of proving them all wrong.

"Very well then," Volga said darkly, his scowl still apparent as he raised his staff in preparation for battle. "If you are ready to join your ancestors in the grave, then I will accept your challenge!"

Without any other words, the dragon knight rushed for the recruit, who was quick to dodge out of the way of the path of his staff. Link retaliated with a quick, decisive swipe towards Volga's exposed side, one that did little to hurt him because of his armor. With an aggravated growl, the dragon knight sucked in his breath before letting out a large plume of hot flames. Like any soldier would, the recruit used his metal shield to block the fire, though the force of it pushed him back several feet. Seeing that he had a moment of advantage, Volga rushed towards his opponent, but Link wasn't about to be caught with his guard down for a second. Skillfully defending and deflecting the knight's aggressive strikes, the recruit managed to avoid any serious injuries, though as they dueled and Volga began to grow even more angry and aggressive, Link steadily began to grow more and more fatigued. All of the energy he had while fighting the vast numbers of monsters earlier was starting to drain as he battled the dragon knight, who was by far a more experienced, much physically stronger warrior than he was. And yet, the young recruit was not about to give up or retreat now, and it was this enduring resolve that gave him enough strength to somehow break through Volga's defenses and land a powerful thrust across the dragon knight's chest, hitting him hard and squarely and pushing him back several feet.

Link took this as a chance to catch his breath, which was quickly starting to run out, but he held his sword and shield at the ready nonetheless, just in case Volga decided to land a sneak attack. However, the dragon knight was only off his feet for a moment, and when he rose to stand, the steam of another flame attack was already rising from his mouth and his vicious glare was directly set upon the young recruit.

"Enough of these games…" Volga growled menacingly, flames surrounding his clenched fist. "Get out of my way, boy!"

The dragon knight didn't even wait for Link to respond, especially since he could tell that the recruit was nearing exhaustion, and therefore, vulnerability. The flames converged around Volga's outstretched hand until they enshrouded it completely, transforming it into a large draconian appendage, complete with sharp, deadly claws. With an enraged shout, he rushed towards the young recruit with every intention of ending this battle once and for all.

"Link! Watch out!" Proxi shouted fearfully, floating near the recruit as she watched the dragon knight's fast approach. However, even though Link was keeping a close watch on his opponent, nothing could have prepared him for the sheer amount of incredible force that Volga struck his shield with. The blunt force of it all was so strong that it knocked the shield right out of the recruit's hand, leaving him completely open to the dragon knight's next attack; with a quick, heavy swipe of his dragon-like hand, Volga cut Link squarely across the chest, tearing through his uniform chainmail and eliciting a cry of pain from the youth, who was sent flying back several feet and landed on the ground semi-conscious from the strike.

However, before Volga could even revel in his victory for a single moment, someone else intervened, someone who had been watching the battle all along. Impa rushed into the keep and quickly stood between the dragon knight and the fallen recruit, her hand already on her sheathed blade as she stood ready to fight Volga herself.

"Enough of this!" the Sheikah guardian shouted firmly. "You and your foul beasts will leave this place immediately, or else!"

Volga simply scowled at her, not taking her threat seriously. "How noble," he scoffed with an air of superiority. "You wish to protect that foolish boy and this kingdom from my mistress's desires? Very well, then. Have it your way. Enjoy your shared grave."

The dragon knight let out a powerful shout as flames surrounded him once more, showing that he was preparing for a deadly attack, one that Impa, even with her Sheikah magic on her side, knew that she would not be able to defend against or evade. With wide eyes, the Sheikah guardian quickly turned around and knelt down near the injured recruit, refusing to leave any of her soldiers behind, no matter what rank they were. However, it was in that moment that everything happened so fast that Impa had no time to register any of it. With another shout, Volga let his charged-up breath go, unleashing a devastating fiery inferno upon Impa and Link, one that they were both powerless to survive against.

Or so Volga thought.

The dragon knight was somewhat disappointed that neither one of his foes screamed or cried out in pain as the fire struck them. He could not even see them being incinerated, destroyed by his incredible power; all he could see were the burning flames covering the lower half of the keep, creating thick, black plumes of smoke that rose up into the cloudy skies above. But all the same, Volga grinned with devious satisfaction, knowing that he had put both that meddlesome recruit and the Sheikah leader in their place once and for all. Without even giving them a second thought, he turned to head off and claim the castle itself, but it was at that moment that something happened that he could have never expected.

A golden glow began to emit from courtyard behind the dragon knight, one that grew ever brighter with each passing second. In confusion, Volga spun around, his jaw dropping in shock at what he saw.

All at once, the flames the dragon knight had conjured vanished into thin air, revealing the source of the sacred light that had driven them away and protected both the recruit and the Sheikah guardian.

Impa blinked in disbelief as she looked up at Link, who stood before her, his sword and shield held aloft, strong and completely unphased from the attack that had brought him down, save for the fact that only his uniform was form from Volga's claws, though no wound remained. Neither of them appeared to be harmed by the flames that had surrounded them whatsoever, but what shocked the Sheikah leader the most was the source of the light that had protected them, the mark of the three golden triangles brilliantly shining on the back of the young recruit's left hand.

Link hardly seemed to pay any mind to the mark as he kept up his focused stance, still ready to fight off the dragon knight if needed. But all Impa could do was stare at him with wide eyes, a million thoughts running through her mind at once. "Impossible…" she whispered in stunned awe. "Could you be…?"

"Loathsome child!" Volga shouted in absolute rage, though he knew that he could not stand up to the recruit with the sort of power that he apparently wielded at the moment. "You haven't beaten me. You have merely hidden behind your shields, human and otherwise. But be warned, boy: we will meet in battle again!"

With one more bitter glare of defeat, the dragon knight surrounded himself with flames once more, taking on the shape of the dragon and confirming that they truly were one and the same. And, with a heavy flap of his large wings, Volga flew off, retreating from the battlefield and leaving Link and Impa alone.

Since they were out of harm's way, the Sheikah guardian didn't hesitate in rising to her feet and bombarding the young recruit with questions as he put his sword in its sheath. "How in Nayru's name did you do that?!" she demanded, glancing down at his hand, where the mark of the triangles now only dimly glowed. "Where did you get that from?"

"I don't know," Link said with honestly, looking down at the mark on his hand in obvious confusion. "I've never even seen it before until now."

Impa raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, crossing her arms and frowning doubtfully as she sized him up. The young recruit knew who the Sheikah guardian was, of course; all of the trainees knew to respect her as the head of the Hylian army, but, just like the princess earlier, Link never thought that he would actually ever encounter the esteemed general herself.

"Who are you anyway, recruit?" she asked, still staring piercingly at him. "And who told you that you could come out here and fight with the elite troops?"

"My name is Link," he answered, giving her the traditional nod of respect that was due to the highest ranking officers in the army. "And… well, no one really told me I could come and fight. I just decided to come on my own."

"You mean you blatantly disobeyed the orders of your commanding officer? You disobeyed _my _personal orders?" Impa asked, sending him a critical glare.

"I'm sorry," Link said with slight frustration, not wanting to put up with this again. "But I had to. I couldn't just do nothing while Hyrule was in danger."

Though she was trying to maintain a front of seriousness, the Sheikah guardian couldn't help but smirk upon hearing this. "A noble intention, I suppose…" she mused thoughtfully, turning her attention towards the gate that led to the northern field. "I can't get too upset about something like that. And as far as I'm concerned, you've already proved your worth on the battlefield against that dragon knight. But as I'm sure you've noticed, the monsters still aren't gone, which means there must be someone else behind this attack as well. For now, I suggest that we clear the path to Princess Zelda and meet up with her troops, and then formulate a plan from there. What do you say?"

"Wait… you mean, I get to fight alongside _you_?" the recruit asked with wide eyes, amazed that he was actually being permitted to battle with the honorable general of the army, despite the fact that he had just been expelled from it.

"Yes," Impa said, already turning towards the battlefield once more. "What of it?"

"Well, it's just that-" Before Link could say anything else however, he was abruptly cut off by Proxi, who flew in close to his face with what she considered to be an important announcement.

"Hey, Link!" she exclaimed brightly. "I just got an idea about how we can clear those boulders blocking the path to the princess!"

"Really?" the recruit asked, glad that the fairy's assistance was already proving useful. "That's great, Proxi! What is it?"

In curiosity, Impa turned around when she head Link say something, believing him to be talking to himself until she saw the fairy flittering near him. "You can speak to fairies?" she asked in disbelief, wondering just where this recruit, who apparently had so many unique talents and abilities, came from.

"Yeah," Link said with a nod, almost asking the Sheikah guardian why she bothered asking before he remembered what Proxi had told him earlier. "I guess so."

"You are just getting more and more interesting with each passing minute, recruit…" Impa said with a small grin as she shook her head and turned to head off into the fray of battle, with Link following not too far behind as he listened to Proxi's idea, which was to head to the nearby mine and gather some bombs to destroy the boulders. Upon relaying this plan to Impa, she agreed with both the recruit and the fairy and commanded her troops to take a path towards the mine. The trip there was short and simple, even if the way was littered with monsters, though Link and Impa easily took them down together. And, sure enough, Proxi's advice worked, as the bombs managed to completely obliterate the obstacle that the boulders posed, opening the pathway to Princess Zelda at last.

With a graceful slice, Zelda tore her thin rapier through another set of monsters, wasting no time moving onto the next group. Despite her elegant appearance and regal manner, the princess of Hyrule was incredibly talented on the battlefield, having been trained in swordplay by Impa from the time was she was young. She fought passionately no matter what the occasion, especially when her kingdom's safety was on the line, like it was now.

"Princess!" Zelda's focused expression brightened upon hearing Impa calling out to her from behind. As she finished off another bokoblin, she turned around to watch her guardian approaching, glad to see that both her and her troops were alright.

"Impa!" the princess exclaimed with a smile. "I'm glad that you were able to find a way through! I was starting to think that I would have to break through those boulders myself."

"My apologies, princess," Impa said, giving the royal a respectful nod of the head. "But thank the goddesses that you are safe! I feared that I'd have never reached you if not for this brave trainee." She gave a slight glance a few feet behind her at Link, who was still busy taking down a ground of monsters all on his own.

"A trainee, huh?" Zelda asked, though she was admittedly distracted as she took down the last few enemies in her way. "Well, from the smallest seed comes the biggest tree I suppose." However, it was at that moment that both the princess and the recruit finished off the foes that they were respectively battling, and happing to turn and face one another at the same time, their eyes meeting even though there were several feet away. "You!" Zelda exclaimed, admittedly surprised but pleased to see the skilled recruit from earlier. "I saw you in the training yard earlier!"

Since the area around them was relatively free of monsters, Link bowed before the princess like any loyal soldier would, still amazed that she was even talking to him at all. However, as much as he knew that he shouldn't have, he couldn't help but glance up at her as she stood before him and realize that she was even lovelier up close, especially as she smiled warmly at him, making his cheeks burn a flustered red.

"You don't have to bow, you know…" she whispered so only he could hear her, knowing that Impa was a stickler for everyone and everyone showing the princess the proper respects. Zelda held out a hand to help him up, one that Link hesitantly accepted, not even realizing that he was staring at her in awe. "What is your name, soldier?" she asked, knowing that she had heard it earlier, but she couldn't exactly remember it thanks to the sudden outbreak of the battle.

"Link," the recruit answered somewhat shyly, his former confidence somehow gone in the presence of Hyrule's refined, elegant ruler, though he wasn't sure why.

"It's very nice to meet you, Link," Zelda said with a smile. "I am grateful for your aid in this battle. I wish there was more time to talk, but for now, I think we need to clear the field of these beasts first and foremost."

"Princess, we encountered one of their commanders and managed to drive him off," Impa reported dutifully. "But I theorize that he wasn't alone. If we can quell these monsters at their source, then maybe Hyrule will be save from further invasion."

"I agree," the princess said with a nod. "But I've seen no signs of any other commander anywhere. He must be hiding somewhere amidst their ranks. If only there was a way to lure him out into the open…"

"What if we forced all of the monsters into one part of the field?" Link spoke up as a sudden idea came to him. "Then we could take them all out at once. Without an army, the enemy commander would have to come out and fight."

"That's a brilliant idea, Link!" Zelda exclaimed, smiling brightly at him with encouragement as he bashfully grinned back. "And I just so happen to know of a way for us to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. We shall call upon the Great Fairy to the south for assistance." With confidence in this plan, the princess turned towards her guardian, ready to put it to action. "Impa, I need you and your troops to round up all of the enemies towards the northern fields, and whatever you do, do not let them take the castle. If it falls, then so do we."

"As you command, princess," Impa nodded, a hand already on the hilt of her blade in preparation to fight against the hordes as she ran off, leading her troops off towards the north and leaving Link and Zelda behind.

"Everyone, listen!" the princess shouted to her own nearby troops. "We need to advance towards the southern fairy fountain at once! We have a strategy that, if successful, can greatly damage our foes! Now move out!"

The soldiers all didn't hesitate to follow the commands of their ruler, but Zelda was quick to stop Link before he could head off into battle with them. "Hold on a minute, Link," she stopped him in his tracks, instantly catching his attention as he turned around to face her, knowing that whatever the princess had to say to him would be of the upmost importance. Even though he had no discrepancies against disobeying the orders of a commanding officer if they infringed on his ideals, he didn't feel the same sort of defiance towards Zelda, who seemed to be openly inviting to fight alongside her in this battle. Even though Link had literally just met her, he already respected her and was ready to follow her to the ends of the world if he had to. She just had a certain way about her that commanded both power and authority, and yet she did not abuse either of those things; even from their brief conversation so far, she had already shown herself to be refined, kind, and deadly in battle all at once, traits that the young recruit couldn't help but admire. "I have a very special mission for you," Zelda said with a small, somewhat coy grin.

"What is it, your highness?" Link asked, knowing that he should refer to her using the proper title.

The princess's smile widened as she detected the readiness for whatever task she gave him in his tone. Their eyes met for another brief moment, and in that moment, she was able to see the firm determination in his sky blue eyes, something that instantly told her that he was already more than prepared to fight for Hyrule. But there was something else about him too, something that filled her with a feeling of hope, even despite the danger the kingdom was currently in. It was something she had noticed from the moment she first saw him fighting in the training yard that morning, and it was something that made her believe that her search for a savior for her kingdom had already come to an end. And yet, Zelda knew that she couldn't be too hasty; she wanted to test him first, to make sure that his resolve, strength, and courage were genuine. And the best way for her to do that was to watch him in action first hand. And so, gripping her rapier, she began to lead the way towards the fairy fountain, but not before looking back to the recruit one last time with a determined smile. "You're coming with me."

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><p><strong>Yay! Next chapter will have some early Zelink! Plus more action from both the princess and the hero, tag teaming to take down the foes! Yes! Anyway, I hope you all really liked that! I put a TON of time into it (by watching and playing HW cause yes) I have really high hopes for this story thanks to you guys, and so I promise that I won't let you down! For now though, I must be off so I can check and see if I can download the villain DLC pack! I just can't wait to play as Cia! :D Anyway, don't forget to leave a REVIEW! Until next time!<strong>


	4. The Hero of Hyrule

_Ok guys! So I know this took quite some time, but please forgive me! I'm working on this story in conjunction with two other stories, plus college and ugh! Life! But anyway, this chapter's going to finish off the first stage of the game, so hooray! Plus, I'm pretty proud of it, since its full of all sorts of early zelink ship tease goodness and junk like that! Yay! But anyway, I just wanted to give a general THANK YOU to everyone who's followed/favorited! (Dont have time to list them all!) Now onto the reviews! (BTW I also just wanted to generally say that YES I do know that Volga uses a SPEAR and not a staff! My mistake! I won't do it again next time!)_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: Yeah, I kinda thought that Zelda basically telling Link: "HEY! COME ON!" was pretty funny too! :D_

_**NoSignalBlueScreen**: Glad to see you're liking it! As for the other characters knowing Link (and by extension Zelda), well... I know that at least Midna is going to confuse him for HER Link (causing both some humor and some emotional stuff for you readers!), but IDK if characters like Darunia and Ruto will yet. We'll have to see what I wanna do when I get to that point!_

_**Link The Hero of Light**: Glad you're enjoying it! :)_

_**Ezakiel**: Hey, I figured why not get a novelization out there first! :D But anyway, I'm glad that you're liking the style and characterization, since those things are very important to me as a writer. I do intend on fleshing out the villains like Volga and Cia and taking a glimpse at their side quite a bit! And as for the battles, I will try to use as much detail as I can, but I won't make them too unbearably long, since emotion and dialogue are more of my fortes (which will make this story something of a challenge for me to write but whatever) And as for the shipping, I plan on making it quite natural indeed, even despite the apparent time apart that Link and Zelda share in the game (though Zelda does spend a lot of time as Sheik, so it doesnt really count I guess). And yeah, I try to keep my updating schedule fairly regular, but there are always hitches in my plans that keep me from posting timely 100% of the time so... And yes, I do know that the bombs thing was a bit rushed, but that's just because I wanted to get to some of the more interesting aspects instead so... yeah. But thanks again for your super awesome, super long review! Those kinds are my favorites!_

_**Pikatwig**: I'm glad you like it! I do intend on working in the DLC, especially some stuff taken from villain mode! After all, Cia is my favorite Zelda villain, so I gotta take a lot at things from her side, right? :D_

_**skyhopper**: Thanks and your very welcome! Glad you like the characterizations of Link and Zelda, and yeah, you can't help but feel for Cia and Lana a little... :(_

_**Book of untold stories:** Thanks!_

_**Marasia**: Glad you're enjoying it so far!_

_**Zelda the Wise:** Impa is such a BOSS! I totally love playing as her and I love writing for her too! And YAS LINK IS SO HOT! ERMAGUD! Hahahaha, sorry, I freaked out a little there... ;D HW Link is by far my fav design though! He is just so sexy on so many levels... sigh..._

_**Guest**: Lol, even though they're the same person? ;D Hahaha, but thanks!_

_**ShadowNinja1011**: Glad you like it!_

_**CupcakePride101**: Well, the thing about Zelda fairies is (at least how I see them) I theorize that they are actually like little tiny humanoids with wings, only their human forms are concealed by the aura of light surrounding them unless you're up close to one. And yeah, I meant to say that the tuft of red hair was a part of Volga's helmet, but eh, whatevs. And yes, the OTP totally met in the battlefield! They are the definition of a battle couple through and through! :D_

_**Volga**: Yes, yes. I know! Sorry!_

_**Skydragon74193**: Yeah, it seemed to me that Link sorta seemed to kinda see through Sheik's design, but who's to say for sure?;)  
><em>

_**mega-dark**: Glad that you like it! I'm also really excited to write all of the characters, especially Cia! And I'm assuming that you're referring to what Lana did in that one mission in villain mode that took place in Hyrule Field, and so I will say yes, I will make a refrence to it in this chapter :)_

_**Lovely girl 10**: Glad that you like it!_

_**Flameshield**: Aw, thanks a ton! And as for looking to Darunia's POV then, I think I could do that... ;) And I absolutely LOVE villain mode (mostly cause its a chance to play as Cia, who is my favorite!) _

_**Legendoffun**: Thanks! Glad that you're liking my story (even if it will take me a while to get to Faron Woods, but we will definitely get there in time!) And yeah, I won't rush (as much as I can!)_

_**Elemental-Aura**: Yeah, everyone in HW is badass in their own right, so I intend to write them like that! Now, in answer to your questions (which I am certainly glad you asked!): Yes, I do intend on including the side characters in the story more, since they are important to the game and I think I'll have a fun time writing them. I haven't decided if Ruto and Darunia are going to recognize Impa yet though, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. And yes, Agitha will be there for that cutscene, mostly to sprinkle in a little humor there! (though I like the idea of her calling Cia a wicked witch, mind if I use that?) And yes, Fi, Agitha and Ruto will help out at the temple, but as for the Dark Link scene... that's actually going to go a lot differently here than it did in the game (though I can't say much more!) _

_**knownobody**: Thank you! And IDK if Lana and Zelda are going to outright FIGHT over Link! Now Zelda and Cia might! hahahaha :D_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked the enconter with Volga! And thank you SO much for your super sweet review! :,D_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Your welcome!_

_**ultimateCCC**: Hahaha, I know, right?_

_**DarthPhoenixFire**: Seriously, Impa yields that huge blade around like its nothing... O.o And yeah, Link was a little focused on Zelda's looks there for a sec, but in this chapter, they both find that there's more to like than just that... ;)_

_Whoo! While it does take a while for me to answer you guy's reviews, I certainly never tire of it, since it means that you guys are loving this story, and I can't thank you enough for that! Now, with all that outta the way, let's finally get started!_

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><p><em>Chapter 3: The Hero of Hyrule<em>

Even despite their equal youth, both the princess and the recruit both held a steady focus in the heat of battle, something that anyone could clearly see as they held their own against the hordes on the way to the fairy fountain, not even phased by each other in the slightest. Even though Link had initially been awed by the fact that he was fighting alongside Princess Zelda herself, he quickly got over the shock as they rushed headfirst into battle once more, their plan to wipe out the enemy forces the only thing on both of their minds. Every now and then, the princess would steal a glance over at the recruit, only to find that he was fighting as skillfully as any of the other knights, even despite his lack of experience. A part of her wanted to question him as to where he acquired his skills, for certainly he couldn't have learned to fight that well within the training academy, but she knew she had to keep her head in the moment, something she had been trained to do since she was young.

While the path to the southern fairy fountain normally would have been a relatively quick trip, the monsters blocking the way made it exponentially longer. Link and Zelda both found that they were unable to simply evade the enemies in order to get to the fountain; they actually had to cut a path through them, lest they be tailed all the way there, or worse yet: the creatures catch onto their plan and reach the fountain first. And so, as they tore through the forces, they made haste, hoping that Impa and her forces would be able to hold off the creatures from capturing the castle while luring them to their vantage point.

However, as the fairy fountain finally came into view, a sudden shrill clamor coming from behind stopped both Link and Zelda in their tracks. They both spun around instantaneously, both of their clutching onto their blades tightly, as a mysterious shape made its way through the cluster of Hylian forces following after them, taking down many of the soldiers in its wake. "Attack! Destroy! Kill! Massacre!" a cackling voice commanded the enemy troops still surrounding the princess and the recruit. "Kill the royal whelp before I get impatient!"

Link and Zelda exchanged a wary glance before the being behind this violent order came into view: a strange, ghost-like creature with twisted, bony hands emerging from its dark violet, ornate robe. In place of where its face should have been was only a singular, large, piercing red eye, though that eye soon somehow transformed into a dark, menacing grin upon seeing the two youths before it. "Well, well…" the wizard-like being said, and by now both the princess and the recruit guessed that it was male, though they weren't entirely sure. "Princess Zelda… At last we meet… My mistress will be quite pleased when she hears that I've taken you down."

"Mistress?" Zelda muttered under her breath in confusion, wondering if there was someone who was even higher above this wizard, as well as the dragon knight that Link and Impa had encountered earlier.

"Oh, and look who else it is…" the wizard said, its dark grin still apparent as it turned towards the recruit, who stood ready to defend the princess against him at all costs. "That little knight who managed to chase Volga away. I don't know how you managed to accomplish that, but you should know that you won't have as much luck with me!"

"We can take you!" Link exclaimed with confidence, Zelda nodding in agreement with his bold statement as they both held their weapons aloft.

The dark wizard simply guffawed at this, not taking either of them seriously. "As much as I'd love to trade barbs with the two of you, I'm afraid I have to be elsewhere…" his sinister grin grew as he lifted his hands into the air and a violet aura surrounded them. "But don't worry; I'll leave you two kids someone else to play with in the meantime. Unleash King Dodongo!"

With one more dark laugh, the wizard vanished from sight upon sinking seamlessly into the ground, leaving both Link and Zelda confused as to why he had retreated so suddenly. However, they soon got their answer as the ground beneath their feet began to shake ominously; a sudden crash thundered from several feet behind them, causing the ground to quake even more violently, almost to the point that none of the Hylian troops were able to keep their footing. Without a moment's hesitation, the princess and the recruit spun around to see what had caused the great clatter, and both of them were utterly shocked by what they saw.

Somehow, the wizard had summoned a huge, reptilian-like creature onto the battlefield, no doubt the monster that he had referred to as King Dodongo. Its imposing, scaly yellow form towered over the Hylian troops, who all looked upon the beast with awe and fear, especially as it let out a ear-piercing roar, its beady red eyes fixated hungrily on the troops in front of it.

"That monster is blocking the path to the fairy fountain!" Zelda exclaimed as she glared at King Dodongo, backing away from it along with Link so they could come up with a strategy to stop it. "We must get rid of it!"

"I was thinking the same thing," Link nodded in agreement, examining the beast and looking for any weak points. However, before another word could be exchanged between them, the monster sucked in a heavy breath through its large, tooth-filled mouth, before letting a hot blast of flame out. Fortunately, most of the Hylian soldiers were far enough away to avoid it without incident, but the princess and the recruit both knew that they would not be so lucky the next time as it stomped forward towards them, its large footsteps causing the ground to tremble each time.

Already, some of the braver soldiers had begun to approach King Dodongo, hoping to gain an advantage upon it, though none of them really knew how or where to attack it. Some tried striking it at its thick tail, only to be swiped aside by its heavy swing, some tried to cut it down near its throat only for the monster to knock them away with a forceful bat of its sharp claws, and even more went for a head on approach only for it to ram them with its deadly horns instantly. Zelda sucked in an uneven breath upon seeing some of her men fall to the creature's might, but she understood well what the cost of war was; no matter how large or small a battle was, there would always be some who would not survive it.

"Princess, you need to go on to the fairy fountain!" Link said to Zelda as he prepared to join the soldiers in fighting against the giant Dodongo. "I'll handle this thing and meet you there."

"Link, are you sure?" the princess asked with a frown, a part of her fearing for his chances since, even despite his apparent skill, he was still only a recruit.

"Yes," the recruit nodded as he left the princess's side to face the threatening beast without the slightest hint of fear. "Now, go!"

Zelda bit her lip anxiously, but nodded in agreement with this plan all the same, knowing that splitting up for the moment would be beneficial to gaining the advantage. Moving quickly and carefully, the princess began to circle widely around the beast so that it wouldn't notice her as she cut behind it in order to get to the fairy fountain. All the while, Link remained engaged in battle with the monster like the rest of the soldiers, only unlike them, he took a much more thoughtful approach as he circled the creature, keeping his guard up for any attacks as he looked for a hint of weakness. He stood apace from King Dodongo, and for several moments, he simply observed its attack patterns, looking for a vulnerable spot to get a hit in, but he couldn't see a single one. That is, until Proxi, who had also been keeping a careful eye on the beast, found one for him.

"Link, look!" the fairy exclaimed with excitement over her sudden idea, guiding the recruit's attention to the monster as it opened its mouth widely and charged its fiery breath up. "See how it's just sucking in air? I bet if you were to throw one of those bombs we found earlier into its mouth while it was doing that, you'd give it just the shock it needs for sure!"

Link grinned cleverly upon hearing this plan, seeing how it could work already. "Great idea," he said to his fairy companion as he prepared to put it into action, taking an explosive from the small stash he had gathered earlier and lighting its fuse before rushing towards the inhaling monster. And, right before it could let its burning breath go, the recruit tossed the bomb into its wide-open mouth, and, just as Link and Proxi had hoped for, its mouth snapped shut and it chewed upon the explosive as if it were just another snack.

At that moment, the bomb suddenly went off and King Dodongo let out a shrill scream of pain as he reeled back onto its hind legs before falling to its side, leaving the tender skin of its stomach completely exposed to attacks. Link didn't waste a single moment; before any of the soldiers could even come close, he was already there, hacking his blade away at the beast's belly roughly and forcefully, ignoring the spray of its dark blood with each new cut he elicited. However, all too soon the monster recovered from the shock of the bomb and began to roll back onto its feet, giving the recruit the sign to back off before he could be crushed by its massive weight. However, before Link could get away from the creature entirely, it lashed out in a provoked, enraged attack. Wildly swinging its claws in an uncalculated motion, the monster simply wished to hit anything it could, and as it did so, it just so happened to strike its main attacker. Link was unable to stifle a cry of pain as the beast ripped its claws across his chest roughly as he tried to back away, the force of the attack knocking him to the ground several feet away. The chainmail under his uniform did little to protect him from such a direct and heavy hit and already the three thick cuts that had been left across his chest were bleeding, but he ignored it, quickly rising to his feet once more, fueled by the sheer adrenaline of battle and little else.

However, upon seeing that it had managed to deal a hit upon the young recruit, King Dodongo seemed to take momentary satisfaction with this and, as if wanting to recover from its own wounds, curled up into itself and began to roll away from the soldiers at a harrowing speed. Of course, a large majority of the troops began to race after it in order to take it down before it could cause too much damage, including Link, but as he attempted to run with the rest of the knights, the sudden sharp sting of agony in his chest hindered him. With a groan of pain, the recruit tried to push it away as he wrapped his arms around his chest tightly to suppress the flow of blood so he could keep fighting, but as he tried to take another step, he quickly collapsed to his knees, his wounds and the exertion of battle finally starting to take their toll upon him.

What Link didn't know was that none of this had gone unnoticed by Princess Zelda, who had been relatively close to the entrance of the fairy fountain when King Dodongo had struck him, and even from there she had seen the whole thing. And, as the other soldiers left the young recruit alone in the middle of the field to suffer from his wounds while they went off to fight, her heart was moved with pity for him. And so, taking a brief glance behind her at the fairy fountain, Zelda decided that it could wait for at least a few more moments; after all, she had Impa up towards the northern fields, and she was confident that the Sheikah guardian could protect the castle for just a little longer while she aided Link.

Meanwhile, the young recruit merely remained in his position for a moment, desperately trying to reclaim his lost breath that would not come as the pain in his chest intensified with each passing second. Proxi flittered around him worriedly, wishing that she could do more to help him, but since she was not a healing fairy, there was really little she could do. All the while, Link silently scolded himself for not being more alert and careful, things that his uncle certainly would have gotten after him about as well. It was his first battle and he had already let the princess, as well as Hyrule down. He lowered his head in shame as he realized that perhaps the other recruits had been right when they said that he did not stand a chance on an actual battlefield. And now, he was paying the price for his stubbornness and hastiness.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed worriedly as she rushed towards him, sheathing her rapier at her side as she hurriedly knelt down beside him, already examining his injuries. "Are you alright?"

"P-princess?" Link muttered in obvious pain, glancing up at her in confusion and wondering why she had come back for him. "What a-are you… d-doing here? Why… why aren't you at the fairy fountain yet?"

"Because I saw you get hurt," the princess answered with resolve, glancing around the area surrounding them to make sure it was clear of monsters that might seek to further injure the wounded recruit. "Now come on; we need to get you to safety."

"Your h-highness… no…" Link protested stubbornly, knowing that she had to focus on the task at hand instead of him. "You n-need to make it… to the f-fairy fountain… Go on w-without me…"

Zelda frowned with concern upon seeing him grimace in clear agony, not even listening to his request for a moment. "Link, no," she said, taking his hand in hers and holding onto it tightly, allowing him to squeeze her own hand in order to slightly ease some of the pain. "You must come with me. I can already tell from how much pain you appear to be in that those cuts are more than skin deep. If we don't hurry, you could bleed out and die."

"But… but what about… t-the Great Fairy?" the recruit asked, ever mindful of what needed to be done to preserve Hyrule's safety, even despite his own possibly fatal injuries, something that impressed the princess quite a bit.

"We'll go there right now," Zelda said with honesty, not trying to convince him of any falsehood now. "I'm certain that she'll be able to heal your wounds and help us in this battle all at once. Now come on, you need to get up. That's an order."

Link attempted to follow her command, but the moment he tried to stand, he let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed to his hands and knees once more, his wounds still dripping blood all the while has his breaths came out in short, painful gasps. "It… h-hurts…" he muttered so softly that the princess could barely hear it, but she managed to catch it all the same.

"I understand that it hurts," she said with sympathy for him. After all, this certainly must have been the first time the young recruit had ever been wounded in such a way and so he was most likely not used to the intensity of such pain. "But you must push that fact out of your mind. A good soldier never gives up without a fight, even if that fight is against the limitations of your own body."

Zelda offered both of her hands to Link in order to help him up and he gladly took them, completely forgetting about her royal standing as she helped him laboriously and weakly rise to stand. His footing was uncertain and shaky, and he almost collapsed to the ground once more from the pain coursing through his chest, but fortunately the princess was quick to place a supportive arm around his shoulder to keep him upright, placing her free hand on the hilt of her rapier just in case anyone attempted to attack them. "Come on, Link," she whispered reassuringly to him, glancing over at his paled face and noticing that he was struggling to remain conscious. "We can make it."

The recruit answered her with a low moan as the two of them began to edge their way slowly yet steadily across the battlefield. Though the distance between them and the fairy fountain wasn't very far at all, Zelda didn't want to take it too fast for Link's sake, knowing that agitating his wounds too much could prove deadly if they didn't make it to the fairy fountain on time. At the same time, the last thing the princess wanted was for the recruit to slip into unconsciousness and not wake up, and so, to keep him away, she talked to him the whole way there, asking him questions and forcing him to answer them, even if he was far too exhausted to.

"What part of Hyrule do you come from?" she asked, starting with something simple to keep his focus diverted away from the pain.

"O-outskirts of F-Faron…" he answered weakly, coughing up the slightest bit of blood as he realized why she was suddenly striking up a conversation with him in order to keep him alive.

"How old are you?" she asked, though she already had a hunch as to his age.

"E-eighteen…" he replied quietly, his eyes threatening to droop shut as much as he willed them not to.

"So am I," she said, giving him a small smile. "Why did you decide to join the army?"

"M-my uncle…" he said wearily, but before he could continue he spiraled into sudden bout of violent coughing, giving Zelda the impression that the monster had managed to puncture his lungs somehow.

"I'm sorry," she said biting her lip upon realizing that he was unable to finish his answer and so she asked him something simpler. "Is this your first time in battle?"

Link only nodded, barely even able to keep his head up as the world grew burred and faded through his bleary vision. Zelda let out a sigh of relief as they finally passed through the threshold of the fountain, though in order to contact the Great Fairy, they had to make it to the magic circle at the end of the sanctum. "Well, you're doing a fine job, even despite that," she encouraged him with a warm smile, completely honest in her statement. There weren't many soldiers that, upon being injured like him, would be willing to get back up and keep going, proving that he was special, just as she had thought upon seeing him in the training yard.

"P-princess?" the recruit asked softly, his voice sounding small and broken as he slowly glanced over at her.

"Please, Link," Zelda said, attempting to quiet him so he would save his waning strength. "Call me Zelda."

"Zelda," Link said with a bit more strength forced into his voice as he corrected himself. "C-can I ask you… a question?"

"Of course."

"Why… why are you d-doing this?" he asked as their eyes met, both of them almost on the verge of tears for different reasons: his from the pain and hers from a strange feeling that had suddenly entered her heart, the fear that she might lose him. "W-why are you helping m-me? I'm j-just a… a recruit… and... you barely e-even… know me…"

Zelda was silent for a moment as she looked at him with deep concern, distracted by how striking his bright blue eyes were once more, even if they were quite possibly moments away from death. Indeed, why _was _she going to such great lengths to aid a new recruit that she had just met mere hours ago? While she had aided some of her fallen soldiers in the past, never before had she been so determined to keep one alive, so afraid of losing one to death's hold. After all, death was a part of war; it was as natural as the passage of time itself. And yet, even against her better judgment, the princess felt as though she had to ensure that the life of this young soldier was protected, no matter what the cost. He was different somehow, she just couldn't place the reason why yet. Tears began to stain her cheeks when she glanced down at his blood-soaked chest, her heart giving her a sign that if she wanted her kingdom to survive, then this young man had to live, no matter what.

But that was not what she told him. Instead, she merely set her expression to determined and resolved instead of fearful and worried. "Because," she said, her voice calm and collected as she kept her sights set on the magic circle just a few feet away from them. "A good leader, a good _warrior_, never leaves anyone behind, no matter who they are. That's why."

Neither of them said anything else as they finally entered into the magic circle, golden designs already forming on the floor they stood together on. "Great Fairy!" Zelda called out in a loud, reverent voice, her gaze locked upon the pure waters of the fountain in front of her. "In our hour of need, please come to our aid!"

No more than a second after the princess cried out to the Great Fairy, the waters in the glistening, peaceful fountain were stirred up, and from them, the magical being herself emerged with a cheerful laugh of mirth. The Great Fairy, while as benevolent as anything came, was certainly an imposing creature in her own regard. While most fairies took up the forms of human-like beings concealed in orbs of light, the Great Fairy appeared as a large, shapely woman, clothed in green leaves and white flowers, with dark pink hair that hung freely in multiple ponytails. Surrounding her were the smaller fairies that served her dutifully and as she looked upon the princess and the recruit, a kind smile appeared on her magenta lips, always ready to listen to the pleas of the pure hearted and noble.

"Greetings, Princess Zelda!" the Great Fairy welcomed brightly, her strong voice echoing throughout the temple. "And hello to you as well, Link," she said, her smile widening as the recruit gave her a small nod, not even question how she knew both of their names. She leaned in closer to the pair as she examined Link's poor condition, knowing full well that she was more than capable of healing it. "Oh my!" she said, reverting back to her original position of floating above the waters of the fountain. "I think we better heal you up before anything else, young hero! After all, it's the least I can do as thanks for saving little Proxi from those wicked beasts!" The tiny fairy at Link's side giggled cheerfully as she bowed in deep respect for the leader of the fairies.

The Great Fairy, still smiling calmly, glanced over at several of the fairies at her side, speaking to them in a language that Zelda could not understand but Link somehow did, and commanding them to go to the young recruit's aid. All of them laughed brightly as they flew towards him and as they circled him, they poured their rich healing magic upon his wounds, instantly healing them and ridding him of the pain they caused him, as well as renewing his lost energy. With their healing work accomplished, the group of fairies glided back to their leader, who gave both the princess and the recruit an expectant grin.

"Thank you," Link said to the Great Fairy with the sincerest gratitude, feeling so relieved to no longer have to deal with such immense pain.

"Oh no, dear Son of Courage…" the Great Fairy said, spinning around as she gave him a playful wink. "Thank _you_ for working to rid this field of those horrible little creatures! Did both of you know that when those monsters first invaded Hyrule Field this morning, they tried to capture all of my dear little fairies? Unthinkable!"

"Why would anyone try to do such a horrible thing?" Zelda asked, knowing just how important fairies were to Hyrule. They not only served as healers, but they also were said to be the messengers of the goddesses themselves, blocking evil energy from adversely affecting the land. Without their protection, Hyrule certainly would be at a great loss indeed.

"That is what I was wondering!" the Great Fairy exclaimed. "All I know is that they were led by a dark wizard and a knight who could transform into a knight, but if I remember correctly, there was a third one of them as well… A woman, if my memory serves me right. Why, I don't know what we would have done if that darling young sorceress hadn't come by when she did to push them back before you arrived on the battlefield, princess."

"Sorceress?" the princess asked in confusion, exchanging a wondering glance with the recruit. But, before either of them could ask the Great Fairy further on the matter, she changed the topic to the reason why the two of them had come to seek her aid in the first place.

"Now, you've both come to me hoping to rid the field of the rest of those monsters, yes?" she asked, to which both Link and Zelda nodded insistently. "Very well then, I'll grant this request since you both worked so very hard to get here."

"Thank you, Great Fairy," Zelda said with a thankful smile. "My attendant has cornered most of their forces into the northern fields, but the wizard managed to unleash a great beast out into the fields."

"Oh, not a problem, Daughter of Wisdom," the Great Fairy said with a relaxed smile. "I'll be sure to weaken that little nuisance along with the rest of them, making him easy work for your army to take out. Now… let us begin!" With a playful laugh, the leader of the fairies lifted her hands into the air and summoned more of her fairies to come to her, before sending them down to surround the princess and the recruit. With graceful movements, the little fairies took the bombs that both of them had on hand and glided off with them, while Link and Zelda watched with anticipating smiles all the while, as they both wondered what kind of miracle the Great Fairy was about to perform for them.

All throughout Hyrule Field, the fairies flittered about, searching for any extra bombs they could find. Simply seeing the lovely little creatures set the minds of the Hylian and Goron forces who were fighting tirelessly to ease, all of them realizing that the princess's plan was about to come to fruition.

* * *

><p>Impa's giant blade ripped across several more monsters as she tried to thin their number out like she had been doing for what seemed like ages. A part of her was admittedly starting to grow impatient with the princess, wondering what was taking her so long in getting to the fairy fountain and praying that she was unharmed. And yet, almost the very moment that such worried entered her mind, they were set to ease as she saw the large group of fairies, all of them bearing bombs, circling several feet above the northern fields, where she had successfully managed to lure most of the enemy forces. However, as relieved as she was to see that Zelda had made it to the fairy fountain, the Sheikah guardian's scarlet eyes widened when she saw the bombs that the fairies had converge into one giant one, a bomb that would certainly be enough to obliterate all of these monsters, and all of the Hylian troops still fighting, with ease.<p>

"Fall back!" Impa commanded loudly, and, upon seeing the giant bomb looming above their heads, none of her troops hesitated to listen. They all rushed away from the northern fields with as much speed as they could muster, and once the Great Fairy could see that they were all safe, she commanded her fairies to let their deadly creation go.

The giant bomb detonated the moment it touched the ground, killing hundreds of the monsters almost instantly and severely wounding many more. Even King Dodongo, who had managed to wander into those parts of the field, received the blunt of the blast and was weakened even more in addition to the wounds that Link had inflicted upon it early. Upon seeing the devastating blow dealt to their foes, the morale of the Hylian troops instantly rose as they all rushed headfirst back into the fray, ready to take care of the last of the invaders.

* * *

><p>Back at the fairy fountain, the Great Fairy let out a bright chuckle of triumph as she gave a small parting wave to the princess and the recruit, before disappearing back into her fountain with one last message for them: "If battle has made you weary, please come back to see me!"<p>

Without wasting another moment, Link and Zelda both rushed outside of the fountain and they were immediately able to see the effects that the Great Fairy's magic had on the battle. It was as if the tides had been turned instantly; to the north, the Hylian troops were prevailing over the monsters and towards the south, the fleeting number that remained was in a full scale retreat, all of them vastly outnumbered by the Hyrulian forces now.

"We did it!" Zelda cheered triumphantly, watching with pride as her soldiers took the lead in this fight. "The enemy's forces have suffered a great loss!" Unable to contain her joy and excitement any longer, the princess hastily embraced Link tightly, completely taking the young recruit by surprise as she hugged him, though he had to admit that he enjoyed it as he hesitantly hugged her back. "Thank you so much, Link…" Zelda whispered to him as she closed her eyes, slightly leaning her head against his shoulder. "I knew that you were strong…"

"Ahem…" Impa's disapproving voice caught both of them off guard from behind. They both immediately broke up their embrace to see the Sheikah guardian standing a few feet behind them, her arms crossed as she gave the slightest hint of a warning glare to the young recruit.

"Impa!" Zelda exclaimed nervously, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks from Link more than anyone else. "W-when did you get here?"

"Just now," Impa said nonchalantly, though she knew there was little time to dwell on her suspicions as to what might have occurred between the princess and the recruit when they were alone together. "But that matters little. Princess, the enemy forces have been greatly weakened. It's my guess that we'll be able to drive them back within the next hour or so. It is for that reason that I must ask you to pull back to the castle. We can manage the battle from here."

"But Impa, I want to fight!" Zelda protested, drawing her rapier once more. Though she knew that her guardian had her best interests at heart, she also knew that Impa often worried for her safety a bit too much, something that had always aggravated her ever since she was little.

"And I know that you can," the Sheikah guardian said with understanding as she placed a hand on her young ward's shoulder. "But this fight is almost over. You have fought enough today. Now, you must return to the castle and serve as its last line of defense in case they break through. Please princess, Hyrule cannot afford to lose you."

The princess glanced down despondently before briefly glancing over at Link, who simply frowned at her, understanding her position well. After all, he had been in the very same spot when his commanding officer had told him that he couldn't fight. And yet, he knew that Zelda indefinitely had more respect for Impa, which was why the princess merely nodded in relent as she sheathed her weapon. "I understand…" she said with the slightest hint of remorse in her tone as she turned to head back to the castle. "May the goddesses protect you… And Link…?" she glanced over her shoulder once more to give the recruit a small smile, one that was full of hope and kindness. "Good luck…"

Without another word, Zelda turned around and hurried off, much to Link's dismay. He wasn't sure why, but something felt off about her leaving so suddenly. A part of him felt as though he wouldn't see her again for quite some time, which meant that he wouldn't be able to thank her for saving his life and giving him hope when he had been on the brink of death. And it was because of that possibility that he was prompted to start to head after her, hoping to catch up with her so he could show his gratitude properly. "Zelda, wait!" he called out to her, but before he could chase after her, he was stopped by Impa placing a firm hand upon his shoulder.

"Let her go, Link," the Sheikah guardian said reassuringly. "You know as well as I do that she must be kept safe at all costs."

The young recruit remained silent, frowning as he watched the princess disappear into a keep and out of his sight. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to be near her, to be by her side and to protect her just as she had protected him. And yet, Zelda was strong and capable in her own right; certainly she could keep herself safe, no matter what the occasion.

Impa noticed Link's melancholy and let out a small sigh, already realizing what was starting to happen here, as much as it aggravated her. But nonetheless, she had no time to focus on that now. Instead, she simply pushed her way past Link, turning to glance back at him as she beckoned for him to follow. "Come on, recruit," she said with a determined grin, her hand on the hilt of her giant knife as she faced the battle ahead. "We've got an overgrown reptile to take care of."

* * *

><p>With as much haste as possible, Link and Impa rushed towards the northern fields, where King Dodongo still ran free but mildly injured thanks to the Great Fairy's massive strike. Most of the Hylian soldiers were taking care of the last few stragglers remaining from the enemy forces, making it clear that only the massive beast needed to be brought down in order for this battle to be won. As the Sheikah guardian and the young recruit approached the monster with their weapons already poised to attack, they stopped several feet away to watch it writhe in pain, though clearly it was more enraged than ever.<p>

"How did that wizard transport a creature of that size to the battlefield so quickly?" Impa asked incredulously as she kept her sights set on the monster alone.

"I don't know," Link replied, already taking more caution in standing against the monster, lest he be taken down by its deadly claws once more. "But I do know what its weak spot is: its stomach."

"I'm guessing that's how it got all of those cuts there then?" the Sheikah guardian asked, giving a slight look of approval to the young recruit beside her.

"Yeah," Link said with a modest grin and a shrug. "I also know how to get it onto its side; just throw a bomb into its mouth when its open and that will stun it almost instantly."

"Very resourceful…" Impa mused with a pleased smile. "A plan befitting a master tactician. Let's do it then; I'll work with the bombs while you go in for the attacks. Since it's already wounded, this shouldn't take too long."

"Got it," the recruit said, following behind the Sheikah leader as they began to carry out their plan. Even though they were the only two really fighting against King Dodongo, it quickly became clear that they didn't need any help from the other soldiers. The giant beast's movements had grown slow and clumsy thank to the injuries it had sustained, making its attacks much easier to dodge than before, and thankfully, it still telegraphed its flame attacks, allowing Impa to quickly slip a few bombs into its maw. Once the explosives had its effect on the monster's insides and it collapsed to its side, Link quickly went to work on it as he had before, brutally slashing away at its tender flesh and taking great care to distance himself from it before it reclaimed its footing. After the wear monster attempted to lash out at its opponents once more, Link and Impa repeated this cycle with quick precision, until, with one deep, fatal blow landed almost directly at the behemoth's heart, it let out a ear-splitting cry of agony and rolled onto its back, before instantly vanishing into a thick puff of smoke, finally vanquished.

All of the nearby soldiers cheered in triumph upon seeing King Dodongo meet his end, signifying that this battle was over and that they had emerged victorious from this attack. Both Link and Impa sheathed their blades as the Sheikah guardian turned to address the troops, a satisfied grin on her face. "Excellent job, everyone," she said with pride to her elite soldiers, glad to see that most of them had survived this strike. "This is why we never give up without a fight!"

"Lady Impa!" one of the captains suddenly ran up to the Sheikah guardian breathlessly, clearly distraught as he knelt before her in respect. "We have just received a terrible news! The enemy wizard somehow managed to penetrate the castle!"

"What?!" both Impa and Link exclaimed in unison, both of their concern immediately going towards Princess Zelda.

"How could such a thing happen!?" the Sheikah guardian growled in fury, clenching her fists tightly at her sides. "I am certain that we had ample guards stationed in and around it!"

"That monster must have been a distraction while they attacked the castle," the young recruit surmised with an angry frown.

"I'd bet anything that it was," Impa said crossly. "Where is Princess Zelda!? Is she safe?!"

The captain looked up at the Sheikah leader with both fear at her reaction to what he was about to say as well as obvious panic that told Impa everything before he even spoke. "We… we can't find the princess anywhere!" he exclaimed worriedly.

"What?!" Impa nearly shouted in alarm, her already fiery red eyes growing large with unbridled rage for their foes. This disheartening news struck the Sheikah guardian very hard for several reasons. Firstly, as the princess's caretaker and attendant, it was her responsibility to protect Zelda at any and all costs; with the princess missing, she had failed at this responsibility something that brought her great shame and disgrace. But even more than the damage that this loss had done to her pride, Princess Zelda was also very dear to Impa's heart; after all, she had served the princess ever since they were both young and the friendship and care that they had towards one another was undeniable. The greatest concern for the young monarch filled the Sheikah guardian's heart as she prayed and hoped that the enemy had not gotten their foul hands upon her and brought her any harm.

"Search everywhere for her!" Impa demanded harshly to all of her nearby troops. "Spread the word! I want everyone on the lookout for the princess! This kingdom will not rest until she is found! Link, I want you to-" However, as she turned toward the young recruit, she cut herself short upon seeing that he was no longer at her side. After glancing around in confusion for a brief moment, she saw him running towards the direction of the castle, already following the Sheikah guardian's orders and searching for any signs of the princess that he could hope to find.

Keeping his eyes wide open, Link entered into the threshold of the castle keep, glancing around to see if he could spot Zelda, despite what the captain had reported moments ago. Certainly, in the brief time that they had been fighting against King Dodongo, the enemy couldn't have broken into the castle and made off with the princess that quickly, could they?

All the same, the young recruit was certainly worried for the princess, for even more than the obvious fact that the kingdom was now missing its beloved young monarch. The words that she had softly said to him when she had been escorting him to the fairy fountain still rung clearly in his mind: _"A good warrior never leaves anyone behind". _Of course, it was quite clear that no one intended on forgetting about Princess Zelda herself in the aftermath of her disappearance, but all the same, Link was resolved to do anything it took to find her. After all, she had believed in him when few else did, she had encouraged him onward when he thought that he could go on no longer, and she had saved his life when he had been on the brink of certain death. These were great, selfless favors that the young recruit refused to leave unrepaid. He was determined to return these favors in any way he could, and if that meant running headfirst into any danger in order to bring the princess of Hyrule home, then so be it.

However, as Link made it to the center of the keep, he didn't find a sign of Zelda anywhere; instead, the area was completely abandoned, or so it appeared upon a first glance. A sudden shriek emitted from the back corner of the enclosure, alerting the recruit to the presence of a small group of bokoblin that had somehow managed to survive the defeat of their brethren. Immediately, they all rushed towards Link with their weapons raised, but of course, the recruit wasn't about to be taken by surprise too much. As the monsters began to pounce, he quickly spun around, his hand flying to the hilt of sword, but before he could cut through them, another blade did instead.

As the dead bokoblins fell to the wayside, Impa landed deftly before Link, placing her tall blade upright beside her as she held onto a bundle of green with her other hand. She gave the young recruit a small nod, accepting his unspoken apology for coming to his aid before she spoke. "As you heard, we can't locate Princess Zelda anywhere," she said bitterly, getting right to the point. "I pray that she is safe…"

"I hope that she is too," Link said with a small remorseful sigh as he sheathed his sword and glanced down fretfully. "What do you think could have happened to her?"

"It's hard to say…" Impa said with a frown, though there was still clearly frustration and guilt behind it. "If the other soldiers do not find her by nightfall, then we must assume that she is not anywhere near the castle. I am unsure if the enemy managed to capture her, but at the moment, that is my best guess as to her fate. Which is why I must ask your help in finding her, recruit. I trust that you are willing?"

"Yes," Link said with firm resolve, not even hesitating for a moment to accept this task. "I'll do whatever it takes to help find her."

Impa smiled sharply upon hearing this, giving him a small nod of gratitude. "That's what I wanted to hear," she said with clear confidence for him. "Already you have shown that your abilities and skill in battle far excel many of my own troops, even despite your youth and lack of experience. Did you receive prior combat training before enlisting?"

"Yes," the recruit said, though he was careful not to show too much pride in his abilities. "My uncle had been a retired captain and he taught me everything I know from the time I was young."

"It shows," the Sheikah guardian said with a nod. "You have certainly proved your worth and courage in this battle, far more than I have ever seen out of a soldier so young before. And so I have to ask… how would you feel about moving up through the ranks?"

Link frowned upon hearing this, knowing that he was not worth of such an honor. "I can't," he said, being completely honest with the high general herself. "I'm not even a part of the army anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Impa asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"I got kicked out for insubordination," he explained. "I disobeyed my commanding officer and came out to fight even though he ordered me not to."

The Sheikah guardian merely grinned cleverly upon hearing this, somewhat amused by the irony of the circumstances. "Well then," she said, holding the bundle of green clothing she held in her hand out to him. "Won't your former commanding officer, as well as the rest of your fellow recruits be surprised to hear that you've just been promoted to second-in-command over the entire army?"

"What?!" Link exclaimed in completely confusion as he glanced up at her in total shock.

"You heard me," Impa said, giving him an instant nod to take the bundle of clothing in her hand, which he hesitantly did. "These clothes that I'm giving to you are very special. The green tunic and cap represent the strength, honor and courage of the spirit of the noblest hero of the land. The blue scarf, however, is a new addition to the garb, sown by Princess Zelda's own hands. Before she disappeared, she told me that it was to bestow the title of second general of the Hylian army upon its wearer, and I can think of no one more worthy of that position than you, Link."

"Wow…" the young recruit said in absolute amazement as he looked to the clothes in his hands, bewildered at what the Sheikah guardian had just told him. "Lady Impa, are you sure? I just don't think I'm worthy of such an honor..." he said humbly, knowing that there certainly must have been more deserving of such an illustrious title.

"And why is that?" Impa asked him inquisitively.

"Because… I… I'm just a new recruit," Link said with a frown, glancing down to his feet in depreciation. "Because this was my first battle and I almost died fighting in it… Because… because I don't want to let you, or Zelda, or Hyrule down…"

The Sheikah guardian was silent upon hearing this, for even despite his honest, rational fears, his words were certainly those befitting the kind of hero that her and the princess had been looking for. Not only was he strong and steadfast in battle, he was also humble, yet devoted, qualities that defined someone worthy of taking on this difficult mantle more than anything else. "Link…" she said with the smallest hint of reassurance in her otherwise gruff tone. "Are you afraid of the trials and difficulties you may face on the path ahead of you?"

Now it was Link's turn to be silent as he thought about this question. In truth, the bloodshed and intensity of war did not do much to faze him. Facing the strange, malevolent enemy that now threatened Hyrule did not intimidate him. Even standing up in the face of death itself did not bring him much fear. What he truly feared above all else was failure, and the possibility that lives, including the life of Hyrule's own princess, could be lost if he did not succeed in the mission that Impa had presented to him. But even if he was afraid, he knew that he had to stand up in the face of those fears and rise to the occasion, even if no one else would. "No," he said firmly, resolve entering his tone as courage shined through his blue eyes once more. "I'm not afraid. I'll fight for Hyrule and Princess Zelda, even if I die trying."

Impa smiled at this bold, noble statement, knowing that he was nothing less than genuine. "Then I trust that you will," she said, glancing down at the mark of the three golden triangles still glowing on the back of his hand, the mark of the Triforce of Courage itself, yielded by only the truest heroes of Hyrule. "And I know that you will be a hero worthy of wearing this tunic, a general worthy of bearing this scarf, and a warrior worthy of saving Hyrule in its time of need."

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><p><strong>Yay! Long chapter is long, but also EPIC and romantic and dramatic and awesome! Yay! Next time around we're gonna have Link and Impa heading to the Eldin caves, so horrah for that! In the meantime, as I work on my other stuff, might I make a recommendation for you all? If you want to read a really sad, AU oneshot based around the SS prequel manga, go check out the little oneshot I wrote the other day entitled "Forever", which you may find on my profile. For now, I must work on more W&amp;C and L&amp;S, but please do not forget to REVIEW if you liked! Until next time! :D<strong>


	5. The Sheikah Tribesmen

_Ok, well this chapter drained me, but here it finally is! (and its really long!) Anyway, this time around we're gonna be covering the entire Eldin Caves stage, though I had originally intended to split it up into two chapters but I figured why not give you guys a little extra (that and I couldn't think of a good splitting point) Before we go on I would just like to say THANKS to all 109 of you who have followed and everyone who as favorited! I am so impressed by your super awesome support guys! Now onto the reviews!_

_**OkayDokey33**: I know what you mean about HW's plot! And yes, my writing is serious, so I do take it quite seriously! As far as the thing with Link and his former officer, I couldn't think of a way to squeeze it into this chapter, but I could definitely take that idea into consideration for a future chapter! After all, everyone else will have other things on their mind in this chapter..._

_**Boom**: Yeah, I'm not great at writing action, but I do try! And yes, I do have every intention of finishing this and I also intend on Ghirahim being a total creeper cause he is! :D And yes, everyone is going to have their own unique reactions to Link (and in some cases Zelda too, though her case is different)_

_**CupcakePride101**: Yeah, there are already sparks between the two of them! Hahah... And Impa is just a little exasperated cause she thinks Zelda should have other things on her mind than romance as princess of Hyrule ;P_

_**GO ZeldaXLink**: Aw... Thanks a ton!_

_**NoSignalBlueScreen**: Glad you liked both Forever and this!:D_

_**Darkrai6534**: I plan on giving everyone at least some development, especially the side characters cause they're so great! I'm personally a die-hard Zelink shipper, but I think that Link and Lana would also make a nice couple (and I do plan on ship teasing them here a little... ;) As far as incorporating the other Links... you'll see... ;) And yeah, the intros will be changed a little, given more depth, and whatnot... ;D_

_**Legendoffun**: Glad you like it!_

_**Stlyin80**: Thank you!_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked the romance and yes, there will be a few chapters set in between stages... Though we aren't going to have one for a while yet... and yes! Lana is coming the chapter right after this one, so hooray!_

_**Ezakiel**: Yeah, typos are a pain... hahaha... And yeah, the battle may have been a little short, but action has never been my strong suit, though I do try to do my best. And yeah, Ruto's reaction to Link, as well as Midna's and a few other characters is going to be great :D And Agitha will have a place here, just like the rest of the warriors. As far as Sheik goes... you'll find out in this chapter, how I plan on handling her... And yes! I do know about Navi's little cameo and I'm certainly gonna put it in here! And believe me, Link is going to be right in there fighting, even despite his newfound status. As far as the bombs go... I dunno, they weren't really my main concern in the last chapter so... hehehe..._

_**Pikatwig**: Glad someone caught the Link to the Past ref! Hahahaa ;D I just figured that Link really needed more backstory in HW, instead of him just coming completely out of nowhere... T_T As far as HW's place in the timeline, I actually think its set post TP, which is where I plan on placing it in this story, but eh, to each their own theory! _

_**Skydragon74193**: Thanks!_

_**Link The Hero of Light**: Uh... ok!_

_**Jack**: To an extent I do plan on incorporating some parts of Cia's tale... I just gotta figure out how... ;) _

_**Zelda the Wise**: Glad you like it! And Sheik is on the way in this chapter! :D_

_**mega-dark**: Yeah, I deviated a little, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I can't wait to write Cia either (she's my new fav Zelda villain! :D)_

_**Flameshield**: Hahaha my friend, that is exactly the sorta interactions between Sheik and Impa that you are gonna get in this chapter! Enjoy it! :D_

_**ultimateCC**: Oh boy... ahahahaah XD_

_**R-king 93**: Thank you_

_**Elemental-Aura**: Glad you noticed that ref.! And yeah, I feel like there was not nearly enough romance between Link and Zelda in the game, so of course I plan on changing that! And I dunno... Sheik might drop a few hints here and there... ;) _

_**Lady Kiridia**: Thank you! I can't wait till we get to Lana and Cia either!_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: Yeah, its kinda ironic, isn't it? ;D  
><em>

_**DarthPheonixFire**: I do plan on covering Zelda's escape in a later chapter, so don't fret! As far as Impa not knowing who Sheik is, I'm going to give a more logical reason here, I hope!_

_**mysteryfriend16**: Ask away! :D_

_**KPGirl1227**: Oh yeah, bring out the Sheik!_

_Wooo... SO MANY REVIEWS! I am utterly awed you guys! We're almost at 100 already and I've barely just begun! Love ya'll let's get started!_

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><p><em>Chapter 4: The Sheikah Tribesman<em>

_Two weeks later…_

Impa slammed her fist down on the map of Hyrule that laid in front of her in frustration, muttering growled curses under her breath as she glanced over the kingdom once more. Two weeks had passed since Princess Zelda's mysterious disappearance, and there had been no word of her fate or location since. The whole kingdom was in an uproar without their wise, benevolent young leader, and the strange, sudden outbreak of monsters certainly didn't help. The Sheikah guardian had much on her hands in light of this, and her army was spread thin and wide across the vast land, each faction seeming to deal with a different issue. Nearly half of her forces were working across the various regions of Hyrule, fighting to quell the flow of invaders that were besetting the land and its people. Many small towns and villages had been attacked and there had been a few that had not been able to be saved in time, much to Impa's displeasure. Innocent people were being hurt, monsters were running amuck, Hyrule's natural beauty was being ravaged, and all the while, the princess herself was missing; all of these troubles were quickly adding up into an almost insurmountable issue, one that the Sheikah guardian had no solid answer for. Even with her troops divided among staving off the monsters and searching for Zelda, it seemed as though things were getting worse by the day as Hyrule, the kingdom that had known nothing but peace and prosperity only a few weeks ago, was quickly starting to fall into decline and ruin.

With an aggravated sigh, Impa looked over her map once more, shaking her head in disappointment. Anything could be happening to the princess, and yet the Sheikah guardian, the one who was entrusted with her care and protection long ago, was at a complete loss over what to do. Zelda's disappearance had been so sudden and strange that no one could really explain it, something that bothered Impa even more. "It just doesn't make any sense…" she whispered to herself in confusion, futilely scanning the map for places that had not been searched yet. "Where could she be?"

"Good question," a voice from behind the Sheikah leader said. She turned around to see Link enter into the war room, joining her in her otherwise solitary studies. The looks of weariness and concern, most likely for the princess's wellbeing were apparent on the recruit-turned-hero's expression, things that Impa realized were probably reflected on her own face, as well as stress and frustration.

"I see you're finally wearing those clothes like I've been telling you to for the past week," the Sheikah guardian said dryly as she looked him up and down, seeing that instead of his recruit uniform, he now wore the green tunic of the hero, along with its matching cap, as well as the metal left-side shoulder armor that came with it and the blue scarf signifying his newfound status as second general. In truth, Link wasn't quite used to not just the clothes and the honor that they meant, but the fact that many of the soldiers he once served under now called him general and looked to him as a leader was something that he was still having a hard time believing. Several times over the past two weeks, Proxi had jokingly told him not to let it get to his head, but the hero really couldn't even if he tried. He was so used to being at the bottom rung of the ladder that now that he was at the top, he had no idea how to feel or act. Everything had been thrust upon him so suddenly, and yet, even if he was having a hard time adjusting to all of these changed, one thing was still certain: he was as determined as ever to help find Zelda.

It was for this reason that he had been tiringly helping Impa search all over the kingdom, going on scouting missions with her and her elite forces, and aiding in researching the geography of the kingdom to see if there was anything they might have missed or overlooked. Perhaps, both Link and Impa were starting to theorize, if Zelda was found and returned soon, then the disasters befalling Hyrule would finally come to an end.

In answer to the Sheikah guardian's comment, the hero simply glanced down at his outfit and shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured it was about time," he said before changing the subject. "So, are you any closer to finding her?"

Impa frowned and shook her head as Link joined her in examining the map. "Not at all..." she admitted with a fretful sigh. "I just don't understand it. How does someone, the princess of Hyrule no less, vanish without a single trace! Certainly, she would have tried to contact us by now if she's out there somewhere, even if she was captured by the enemy."

"Maybe we've just been looking in all the wrong places…" the hero mused as he glanced down at the map. "Where haven't we sent troops to yet?"

"Just about everywhere," Impa said, crossing her arms. "They've checked all throughout Hyrule Field, Gerudo Desert, Lanayru Valley… I'd say the only two major regions we haven't searched through are the Eldin Caves and Faron Woods…"

"Well, why don't we try searching there?" Link suggested.

"The Eldin Caves are a death trap," the Sheikah guardian said stoutly. "Soldiers have gone through there in the past and very few have made it out alive. I wouldn't risk even going there unless we had an absolute lead. And besides, I have no reason to believe that Zelda would go to such a dangerous place on her own. As for Faron… well, it's plausible. But right now, we're spread so thin that sending a search party out that way is going to have to wait."

A bout of silence filled the room for a moment, before the hero spoke up once more. "Do you think she's ok?" he asked, clearly concerned for the princess's safety.

Impa sighed, her worried frown betraying her dread well. "It is my constant prayer to the goddesses that she is…" she said softly, her rough, firm exterior starting to break through to a more vulnerable side of the hardened general that Link had never seen before.

Before either of them could say anything else however, a knock sounded at the doors to the war room, to which Impa responded with a command to enter. A captain of one of the scout teams that was charged with searching for the princess entered in, bowing respectfully before both generals before speaking. "Lady Impa, General Link," he began with a hint of urgency in his tone. "We have just received a report that comes to us from our outposts near Faron Woods. Apparently, there's a small resistance being led there against the invading enemy that is not directly affiliated with the Hyrulian army. But what's more is that this force is being led by a young woman, though no one knows who she is or what she looks like."

"A young woman!" Impa exclaimed, her scarlet eyes growing wide at this sudden news. "It could be Princess Zelda!"

"See?" Link said jokingly, with a bit of a sarcastic grin. "You should have had soldiers stationed there a long time ago."

The Sheikah guardian, not impressed with his tone, sent him a sharp warning glare. "Watch your tone, boy," she cautioned, though it was clear that she was too elated by this report to be outright angry with him. The possibility that this young woman could be the missing princess filled the Sheikah guardian with hope and excitement. After weeks of pointless searching and constant worry, there was a chance, however small that all of this uncertainty and anxiety could finally come to an end. And, even though it was only a small lead, it was enough to get Impa motivated into acting upon it.

"Rally the other scout troops!" she commanded firmly to the captain. "Tell them to set a course for Faron immediately. We move out tomorrow at dawn!"

* * *

><p>Faron Woods laid miles to the north of Hyrule Castle. And yet, the path to get there was anything but simple. The most straightforward route of getting there was to head through the mountains, though with the legion of soldiers that Impa intended on taking with her, such an arduous, uphill journey could take weeks, weeks that Hyrule didn't really have to wait for the return of its ruler. However, there was another, much faster way to get to the woods, though it certainly wasn't the most ideal: the Eldin Caves. The entrance to the caves was to the northeast, and the mining tunnels that they were composed of eventually led out near Faron. Yet at the same time, they were rife with danger; since they ran through the Eldin Mountains, they were volcanic, littered with countess pools of molten lava. The environment was sweltering and unbearable, even in the tunnels that were relatively bereft of magma and lined with rare crystals instead. Very few who had ever entered into its mazelike passageways made it out on the other side to tell the tale, but both the Sheikah guardian and the hero hoped that they would be able to lead their troops through with both safety and speed.<p>

Of course, the Hylian troops, consisting of more than two-hundred foot soldiers, found that an all new danger awaited them as they entered into the steamy caverns. Like every other location in Hyrule, the enemy monsters had happened to find their way into the Eldin Caves as well, making an already difficult trek even more challenging. Stalchildren ran rampant, and every now and then the occasional Stalfos and big poe lined the way as well. The troops would not only have to pass through miles of treacherous terrain in the devastating heat, but they would also have to deal with this pressing infestation if they wanted to make it out alive.

As the leaders of the army, Link and Impa were the first to pass through the cave's entrance, and by the time their entire squadron was inside, the first few monsters had been spotted but not approached. Before any fighting could begin, the Sheikah guardian turned to her troops to relay them instructions, though she could already tell from their expressions that they were uncomfortable in the unsavory conditions of the humid caverns. "Listen up!" she shouted over the soldiers, hoping that it wouldn't draw to much attention to them from their nearby enemies. "We need to get through these caves as quick as possible. There are monsters up ahead, and so I want you all to be on top your guard. I know that the intense heat in here doesn't make circumstances any better, and so try not to overexert yourselves and remember to ration your water and supplies. I want as many of us to make it out of here alive as possible. Travel with caution and watch each other's backs. We'll all rendezvous at the cave's exit before moving on. Now move out!"

The soldiers were quick to follow the command of their general as they scattered, rushing forward along the path that led towards the mining tunnels. It was possible to get lost within the Eldin Caves, and thanks to the presence of the monsters throughout, many of the easier passageways were closed off, making the route much more inconvenient; but nonetheless, the allied troops began to steadily push their way through them, with both Link and Impa bringing up the rear to make sure that no one was left behind.

"Goddesses, it's hot…" the hero remarked with a deep breath as he ran alongside the Sheikah guardian, wiping the sweat from his brow with one hand and holding onto his sword with the other.

"You get used to it," Impa said astutely, having conditioned herself to such extreme environments as this for years. "For now, our main priority is getting everyone out of here in one piece. The exit is quite far from our current position, and with things looking like they are now, we'll have to go the long way up north to get there…"

"Sounds easy enough," Link said, watching as Impa took down a few monsters that were heading their way.

"Easier said than done," the Sheikah guardian replied, her focus unwavering as she continued to dash towards a group of foes. "But, if you remember nothing else from this battle, Link, then I want you to remember this: keeping a cool, level head is vital to success in any fight. Especially one in a place like this."

The hero nodded, taking the advice of the wise Sheikah guardian to heart as he joined her in opposing the stalchildren that were approaching them. Already interspersed throughout their number was several Hylian soldiers, though quite a few of them had ignored the creatures and went on ahead. But nonetheless, Link and Impa remained fighting off the rather large group, both of them showing their impressive skill in battle. With strong, broad swipes, the hero tore his knight's sword through the skeletons, shattering them upon each heavy impact. At the same time, the Sheikah leader landed her own devastating blows, her giant blade nearly crushing all who stood in her path as she executed her skillful moves with both precision and agility.

Once the block of monsters had been relatively thinned out, Proxi, who had flown a little ways ahead to check on the status of the Hyrulian troops for Link and Impa, flittered back to the hero and reported her findings dutifully. "The troops have gone ahead without us!" the fairy exclaimed to both of them, though the hero was the only one who could understand her words. "Link, we have to catch up!"

'Looks like we're the ones getting left behind," Link translated for Impa, who nodded and took a glance behind her to make sure that no straggling soldiers were left in the entryway only to find none, much to her relief. There was no going back now, but at least that meant that the first portion of the caves were clear.

"Then let's get a move on," Impa said with resolve as she sheathed her blade for the moment and went on ahead, her mind set on little else than escaping from the caves. Link followed suit, trusting that the experienced Sheikah leader knew the way better than he did. And soon enough, they were able to reunite with the bulk of the troops since the path had been mostly clear of monsters thanks to their prior advance. However, upon regrouping with the troops, both of the generals were able to see why their advance had been abruptly stopped. A towering stone spire rose high above the troops, blocking their path in one way while the flow of lava impeded their northward progress even more. Though most of the soldiers were eager to press on, they all smartly took this brief impasse as an opportunity to catch their breaths and allow themselves to recuperate from the still oppressive heat that they already couldn't wait to get out of.

"What are we supposed to do about that?" Link asked Impa as the two of them approached the spire and examined it carefully.

The Sheikah guardian pondered this for a moment, but before she could answer it, a sudden uproar sounded throughout the back end of the legion of troops. Another large group of foes, this time led by two big poes, was quickly coming up on the soldiers, and this time, they had nowhere to run. Cornered, the Hylian troops were forced to fight, even though many of them had started to grow exhausted from the heat. Link was quick to join in the fighting without hesitation, but Impa remained near the spire for a moment, giving it another brief glance as a sudden idea came to her, one that brought a small, clever smile to her face.

"Link!" she called out to the fighting hero. "Stay here and keep leading the troops in this fight. I have a plan!"

"Got it!" Link called back as he thrust his blade into one of the commanding poes, destroying it almost instantly. Impa called a few of her elite soldiers out of the group and cut a path through the stalchildren until they were out of the thick of it.

"Lady Impa," one of the captains said to the Sheikah guardian as they headed to the southwest. "These caves… No matter how many monsters we cut down, more keep coming out. What are we going to do about it?"

"Well, fight of course," Impa said stoutly. "And, if my plan works, then we shouldn't have so many monsters to worry about. I figure that if we can break that spire, then we should be able to get across the lava. All we need is a little help from our Goron allies."

"But Lady Impa," another soldier said with a frown. "We have no Goron allies here!"

"That's where you're wrong, soldier," the Sheikah guardian said with a grin. "It's not smart to go into a battle like this alone. That's why it's always a good idea to have some allies wherever you go."

The group of soldiers all glanced at one another in confusion, but they didn't question their general's idea as the continued to follow her loyally. However, before Impa could make it to her intended destination, a sudden voice echoed throughout the caves, catching all of the Hylian troops, including the Sheikah guardian and the hero, by surprise as it cackled wickedly.

"Getting you all into these caves was so simple!" the voice that both Link and Impa knew belonged to the dark wizard that had been leading the strike on Hyrule Field said smugly from his unseen position. "Now they shall become your tomb!"

A sudden rumble sounded throughout the caverns, and no one even needed to look to see that the way to the final exit of the caves had been blocked off. Impa huffed a sigh of aggravation, knowing that certainly the meddlesome wizard would need to be dealt with if they ever hoped to make it out alive. But for now, she could not worry herself with that; she had a plan to carry out first.

A small smile of relief claimed the Sheikah leader's face as her and her troops approached the entry keep, seeing that a group of Gorons were arriving there exactly as planned. Impa had made arrangements early on for the Gorons to give them backup if needed, and sure enough, the rock-solid warriors had appeared right on schedule, when the Hylian forces needed them most.

"You've made it right on time," Impa said with a nod of gratitude to the Goron captain as she entered the keep. "Allow me to cut to the chase. Knowing your people's expertise with explosives, I trust that you would have something big enough to take down an impressively-sized piece of rock, right?"

"Sure!" the Goron captain chimed heartily, motioning to a large, blue and yellow mouse-like device towards the back of the keep, being led in by a few other Gorons. "No rock out there is a match for a good ol' Bombchu! And just for our good Hylian friends, this one's on us!"

With a nod, the Goron captain set the Bombchu in motion as it rolled forward, its path set towards the northward spire. "Thank you," Impa said, giving a small bow of thanks. "I don't know what we would have done without your aid. Now we can fall back to the north and let that Bombchu do the heavy work. Let's go!"

With a morale-raising cheer, Impa and her soldiers hurried up towards the north, carefully guarding the Bombchu against enemy attacks along the way, lest it explode prematurely.

"Destroy that eyesore of a rat!" the wizard's angry voice commanded the enemy forces. "Show these fools the depths of despair!" Even despite his disparaging words, Impa continued to pay him no mind as she remained as focused on her mission as ever.

When the Sheikah leader and her task force returned to the the juncture that the rest of the troops were still stuck at with the Bombchu in tow, they found them in dire straits; the soldiers were quickly starting to tire themselves out, including Link, though the hero was resolved to fight through it. Many of the men had even collapsed out of heat exhaustion or injury, and the stalchildren were still pressing them as aggressively as before. It was certainly a blessing from the goddesses themselves when the tiring soldiers heard Impa shout a firm command to them to clear out of the area and allow the Bombchu to do its work. And sure enough, it did; the mobile explosive came to a halt right in front of the spire, and no more than a second later, it detonated, taking both the giant slab of stone and all of the nearby enemies out with it.

"Head for the exit!" one of the commanders shouted once the way was finally free of lava. "Like we've been trying to do this whole time!"

The soldiers heeded this command as they went on ahead, but before Impa began to follow them, she took a glance over at Link, noticing the clear exhaustion on his expression. She was quick to stop him before he could blindly rush on, knowing that he was far more winded than even most of the other soldiers. "Link, what did I say before?" the Sheikah guardian asked, a hint of chastising in her tone. "Don't overexert yourself. You're not the only solider here. Stop acting like it."

"But… Lady Impa… I'm not..." the hero struggled to say between his shallow, lost breaths, the strain of both the heat and the battle clearly taking its toll on him.

"You are," Impa scolded, clear aggravation with him in her tone. She understood that he was new at this, but that was no excuse for the kind of foolhardy extravagance in his fighting he was showing. "Clearly, you are still quite under experienced and you have a lot to learn, but it's too late for you to go back to the training yard you're used to now. You're second general; these men look to you for leadership now. You can't be showing them this sort of example. I expect more intelligence and care and less useless waste in the future, understand?"

Link said nothing as he merely cast a glare to the ground, feeling belittled and insulted by her harsh words. While it was true that he had been overexerting himself and using up too much of his waning energy, he was only doing it to ensure that everyone would make it out of the caves safely. He wasn't trying to be extravagant or selfish as the Sheikah leader was implying. He was only working as hard as he could for the good of everyone else around him, just like she was. But, he knew that it was certainly not his place to correct her. After all, even though he was second-in-command of the army now, Impa was still above him, and he still trusted that even though her words were biting and cold, they ultimately meant well.

"Do my words anger you, Link?" Impa asked with a hint of challenge in her tone as she crossed her arms and looked him up and down. "Do my words sting? Let them. You must understand that this is a war, and in a war, you must act with both intention and precision. Every ounce of your energy must be spent effectively, otherwise you will fall." At this, the Sheikah guardian's stern expression finally softened as she placed a hand on the hero's shoulder and handed him her full canteen of water, which he took and drank from gratefully to rehydrate. "I hope you know that I'm not trying to denounce your efforts, Link," she said with a sigh. "I just want you to learn that this is what a real battle is like and there's no better way to learn than through experience. And I also want everyone to get those these nightmarish caves alive, including you, got it?"

Link nodded respectfully as he gave Impa her canteen back, feeling a bit more energized for the path ahead now that he had a chance to take a brief breather. "Yes," he said, preparing to move ahead with her. "Thank you, Lady Impa. I'll be more careful next time."

"I trust that you will," Impa said with satisfaction. "And enough of that 'lady' nonsense. You don't see me going around calling you 'general', now do you?"

The hero couldn't help but smile along with the Sheikah leader at this, realizing that the respect that he had for her was actually returned, even despite the chastising that she had just given him. As amazing as it was for Link to believe, Impa, the honored and esteemed general of the army and second hand to Princess Zelda herself had trusted him enough to appoint him to the high position of second general. And that was the sort of trust that the young hero was not about to disappoint.

Link and Impa were quick to catch up with the other soldiers, still heading to the north with the hopes of getting into the cooler mining tunnels. However, as they both led their troops into the nearest keep, they were both stopped in their tracks by a new wave of monsters heading their way. The poes and stalchildren crept towards them at a slow pace, but their blood thirsty intent was clear. The hero was quick to draw his sword and, remembering what he had just been told, backed up and waited instead of making the first strike, something the Sheikah guardian did as well as she kept her hand carefully on the hilt of her blade. The two generals soon found themselves both back-to-back and surrounded by foes on all sides, their large numbers seeming to never let up. A fight was clearly about to ensure, but how much more the Hylian soldiers could take was uncertain.

However, before their side could attack, a sudden, unexpected sound echoed throughout the caves from nearby. The sound of a light, gentle song being played on harp strings.

Confused, both Link and Impa glanced around the area, wondering where the source of this strange music could be coming from, until the hero was the first to spot it. Standing atop a large rock formation to their left was a young woman, although her unpronounced figure and clothing made her gender slightly more vague. In her hands she had the harp, the source of the music, poised as she continued to play her song with skillful, bandaged fingers. She was thin and lithe, her facial features mostly obscured by the white cloth covering everything up to the bridge of her nose. Blonde hair peeked out from underneath the while turban she wore atop her head, and from behind came a long braid wrapped in white bandages. She wore sturdy armor, including small shoulder pads, upper arm guards, backhand guards, fingerless gloves and black shin guards, and attached to her thighs on each side were duel kunais. However, what struck both Link and Impa the most upon a first glance about this young woman was both the fact that her one eye that was not obscured by her hair was a sharp, piercing crimson, and that upon her chest plate she bore the timeless red Sheikah emblem, something that the Sheikah guardian wore proudly on her breastplate as well.

Finally finished with her song, the young woman leapt from her perch with agility and landed squarely within the keep, instantly strumming her harp once more. This time however, instead of a mere song, waves of light also emitted from the golden instrument, and as they collided with the nearby stalchildren, the monsters were nearly sliced in half, obliterated and defeated in one fell swoop.

The entirety of the Hylian forces, including both generals, turned to look at this young woman with awe, wondering who in the world she could be and where she came from. "The princess isn't dead," the young woman said in a smooth, calming voice as she began to step towards Link and Impa. "You'll reunite with her at some point during your journey, but not quite yet…"

"How do you know that?" Impa asked as she looked the young woman up and down suspiciously. "And who are you?"

"You can call me… Sheik," the young woman said, her tone still unreadable.

"Sheik?" Link repeated, also examining this mysterious warrior who had seemed to come out of thin air.

"It's a name that comes from the Sheikah tribe…" Sheik explained. "They were servants of the Hyrulian Royal Family."

"The Sheikah tribe?" Impa asked in disbelief, knowing that there were few survivors left in her tribe, and that she had certainly never seen this young woman among her remaining people. "But that's impossible…"

Before Sheik could explain herself further, however, a sudden rumble reverberated throughout the caves, either a sign of volcanic activity or of oncoming foes. Either or, none of the Hylian soldiers were too keen on sticking around to find out. "We can talk more once we get out of these caves," Sheik said with resolve. "For now, let me join you!"

"Wait!" Impa said, before anyone could move an inch. "Why should we trust you? We don't even know you!"

"Because I saved you," the Sheikah warrior said with patience, holding her harp close to her in preparation for battle. "If I was your enemy, then certainly, I would have let you perish, wouldn't I have?"

"She's got a point," Link said to Impa, having no reservations about letting Sheik join them. After all, each hand fighting meant one less dying as far as the hero was concerned. But still, the Sheikah guardian was suspicious of this strange young woman, apparently trying to pass herself off as a member of her tribe. Impa wasn't sure if trusting Sheik was the wisest course of action in the long run, but she relented for the moment, knowing that above else, everyone's priority had to be getting out of the caves.

"Alright," she said stoutly, leading the charge onward towards the tunnels. "Let's move!"

The Hylian forces were quick to move out as they entered into the significantly cooler tunnels. While the stone walls were mined with beautiful blue crystals of all sizes, there was no time to admire their natural wonder. The wizard had already ordered more monsters onto the battlefield and already they were starting to beset the allied troops aggressively. Impa, still as levelheaded as ever, even despite her misgivings about their mysterious new ally, led the way this time, plowing through the stalchildren with both her giant blade and her Sheikah water magic. Sheik and Link weren't too far behind, fighting with just as much resolve and passion. The hero continued to charge is sword through any monster that blocked his path, while the Sheikah warrior used an interesting mix of martial arts, her kunais, and the magical music that her harp provided to easily ware the enemy forces thin. Both Link and Impa could tell that Sheik was a skilled fighter; her speed and accuracy unmatched and her attacks were solid and strong. Each one of the tunes she played seemed to have some sort of elemental affect, and many of them Impa recognized as melodies passed down by the Sheikah tribe, though where Sheik might of picked them up, she had no idea. Perhaps this young woman really was a Sheikah, though Impa still didn't want to believe it with so little information to go off of.

As Sheik quickly strummed a tune known as the Bolero of Fire, she summoned a fireball out of nowhere to singe their nearby enemies and let out a small breath of exasperation, noticing that Link was watching her a few feet away, clearly impressed and confused. "They're really getting fierce, aren't they?" she said, giving him a small grin though he couldn't see it because of her face coverings. "C'mon. We've got to keep moving."

The Sheikah warrior began to run on ahead and the hero followed her, but his curiosity was too peaked not to question her. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?" he asked her, running alongside her all the while.

"The art of utilizing combat magic through music is an art well known to my tribe," Sheik answered as she tossed her kunai ahead into the skull of a nearby Stalfos.

"_Your _tribe," Impa scoffed under her breath, having overheard the conversation as she led the way into the northeast portion of the caves.

"Wow," Link said with a duly impressed grin, having not heard Impa's derivative comment as Sheik had. "That's amazing."

"Thank you, Link," Sheik said with a humble nod of her head.

"Wait…" the hero said, his smile fading into confusion. "We just met… How do you know my name?"

The Sheikah warrior hesitated for a second in answering, but before she even could, a sudden rumble echoed from behind the Hylian forces. The gateway to the first half of the caves suddenly slammed shut, trapping the troops within the mining tunnels with all of the monstrous forces.

The wizard chuckled malevolently once more, his voice sounding out throughout the cave walls. "Now they have nowhere to run!" he shouted to the monsters under his command. "Crush them! Beat them! Grind them to dust!"

Once more, the seemingly endless legions of stalchildren began rushing towards the tiring Hylian troops, meaning that they had to fight with everything they had just to survive. "Enemies are coming out from all over!" Proxi shouted warningly to Link. "Maybe the Spirit of the Caves is in there… I bet if we were to defeat the spirit, it would slow the flow of monsters!"

"What's the Spirit of the Caves?" the hero asked the fairy in confusion.

"It's a ghost that's said to live in the deepest parts of the Eldin Caves," Proxi said, making use of the wellspring of knowledge that most fairies were said to have. "It looks just like a poe, only much bigger. Maybe the wizard's using it to control the monsters!"

"We need to find a poe called the Spirit of the Caves and get rid of it," Link said to both Sheik and Impa, translating Proxi's findings for them.

"Ah, yes," Sheik mused, having heard the legends of this ghost before. "The Spirit of the Eldin Caves… Defeating it might just open up the exit… We should check for it in the deepest tunnels."

"Alright," Impa said in agreement with this plan. "I'll stay here with the troops and guard them while you to go search for that spirit. And hurry it up! Many of them are starting to reach their limit!"

Link and Sheik nodded in compliance as they headed off into the tunnels together. The further they got into the mazelike corridors, the less cluttered with monsters it was, making their travels much easier. They decided against splitting up, lest they not be able to find their way back to Impa and the Hylian troops. They both ran quickly, not taking any time to converse as they rushed to the heart of the caverns, and sure enough, waiting there for them was a rather large poe, which Proxi confirmed to be the Spirit of the Caves itself.

It attacked much like a normal poe did, with bursts of violet flame and elusive disappearing defenses. However, also like every other poe, it was still susceptible to the same attacks. Sheik utilized the magic of a song she called the Prelude of Light, which blinded the ghost enough for Link to get a few swipes in with ease. However, as the spirit began to regain its vision, it attacked wildly, sending out several uncalculated flames, one that managed to catch Sheik on her shoulder and another that hit Link squarely in his leg. Naturally, the hero panicked as the fire began to burn though his clothes, but the Sheikah warrior was quick to use her harp to remedy the situation. Grabbing Link roughly by the arm, she hurriedly strummed a song called the Serenade of Water, which created a large whirlpool of water that not only doused them both and put out the flames, but it also drowned the spirit into submission and defeat.

"Thanks," the hero said, breathing in a sigh of relief as he realized how refreshing the cool water she had soaked them both with was.

"Don't mention it," Sheik said, giving him a small wink as the large doors in front of them cracked open, revealing a path ahead. Already the Hylian troops were on their way to catch up with them, and so the Sheikah leader and the hero decided to led the way. "Now come on! The end is in sight! We'll be out of these caves in no time!"

"Right," Link nodded as he followed after her, having no distrust towards her like Impa seemed to. After all, there was no reason not to trust Sheik; she had already proven her usefulness in this battle and then some. Clearly, she was a worthy ally.

At last the Hylian troops had reached the southeastern end of the caves, meaning that the end was in sight, though it was still blocked off and that path ahead was still filled with monsters. However, exhaustion was clearly mounting upon the Hyrulian forces, and it was becoming quickly obvious to Link, Impa and Sheik that they couldn't take much more of this intense heat, mixed with this seemingly never ending fight.

However, before the troops could start making a direct advance towards the exit, the wizard's aggravated growl sounded from quite close this time, giving everyone the impression that he was closer than he seemed. "What a bunch of pests!" he hissed angrily. "I guess I'll just have to come out and deal with you all myself!"

No more than a second later, the dark wizard himself appeared, rising out of the ground with a cackling laugh as his glowing red eye glared at the trio leading the army.

"You!" Impa shouted angrily, gripping the hilt of her sheathed blade tightly. "I've had just about enough of your tricks! Tell us where the princess is or else!"

The wizard simply laughed mockingly, which was only fueling the fires of the Sheikah guardian's frustration. "Please, call me Wizzro," he said, finally revealing his name. "And as for the princess… well isn't that the question of the century? Just like you, my mistress is also looking for her, but not for the sake of capturing her. Killing her will certainly suffice…"

"Who's your mistress?" Link demanded, holding his sword aloft in preparation to attack.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"Wizzro mocked. "But I'm sure that you'll be meeting her soon enough. After all, she won't shut up about how she's just _dying _to meet you, _hero_..."

"Enough!" Impa cut in, her red eyes fierce and heated. "I'm tired of you toying with us! Call your forces off and let us pass, otherwise I'll take you on myself!"

The dark wizard simply guffawed once more, not taking her threat seriously. "I'd like to see you try!"

The Sheikah guardian's grip on her blade tightened even more upon hearing this. "Fall back," she commanded rigidly to both Link and Sheik. "I've got this one."

"Are you sure, Impa?" the hero asked with concern, though he didn't doubt that the skilled Sheikah guardian could handle a foe such as this.

"Yes," she said firmly, and both Link and Sheik, along with the rest of the troops, were quick to follow her command, knowing that it was unwise to disobey her when she was this angry. Impa and Wizzro circled one another for a few tense moments, but ultimately, the dark wizard was the first one to strike, sending out a burst of violet flame that the Sheikah guardian was quick to dodge. Even despite her apparent fury, Impa did a good job of keeping her cool in the heat of battle as she maneuvered her way out of the path of even more attacks, every eye in the crowd of Hylian soldiers watching their general and respecting her clear, finely honed skill. When Wizzro finally relented, the Sheikah guardian took her opportunity; slipping her huge blade out of its sheath as though it were nothing, Impa cleaved into the dark wizard, not defeating him, but definitely pushing him back. She scarcely gave him a chance to recover as she summoned some of her magic down in the form of arrows composed of water, which rained down upon him relentlessly. Wizzro cred out in pain and frustration, sending another dark burst of magic the Sheikah guardian's way, but it was too late; she had already gained the upper hand. Preforming a swift slice, Impa used some of her magic to keep the wizard suspended in their air in paralysis after she cut him, and, as she clicked her heavy blade into its sheath, it somehow landed a critical blow upon her foe, knocking him to the ground in defeat.

The Hylian soldiers cheered in support of their general's victory and Impa merely smirked in satisfaction, placing her hands on her hips and standing tall before her troops. The dark wizard had put her soldiers in grave dangers by trapping them in these deadly caverns, but the Sheikah guardian was resilient, and was willing to do whatever it took to not only find the princess, but also keep her men safe no matter what the cost. And she made sure that every foe she encountered that dared to cross her knew that.

A moment or two later, Wizzro shakily picked himself up off the ground, battered and weakened, but not taken out entirely. "This… isn't over!" he screeched angrily. "None of you will be able to stop my mistress's plans in the end! You'll see!" With another sinister laugh, the dark wizard used his magic to sink into the ground, teleporting out of the caves and taking his legions of foes with him. The nearby doors to the exit of the caves finally rumbled open, revealing the fresh, cool air of the outdoors at long last.

"Finally!" Link exclaimed in relief as him and Sheik started for the exit, with Impa bringing up the rear to ensure that everyone made it out. In less than a few minutes, the entirety of the Hyrulian forces had passed out of the caves and into a small, lightly wooded valley. A small stream ran through it and most of the soldiers thirstily partook of its pure, cool waters as they recuperated from the heat and began to set up camp for the night, knowing that they would reach Faron in the morning.

"Well done, everyone," Impa said with a pleased grin. "Glad to see that most of us were able to make it out."

"We owe it all to your efforts, Lady Impa," Sheik said with a respectful bow as the troops all dispersed, leaving only the hero and the two Sheikah women standing near the cave's exit. "Your skill and leadership on the battlefield is quite admirable."

Impa's smile faded as she looked towards the Sheikah warrior, glaring at her suspiciously. "Alight, we're out," she said, crossing her arms and frowning. "Now, it's time for answers. Who are you anyway and where did you come from?"

"I told you," Sheik said calmly, strumming a few casual notes on her harp. "I am a descendant of the Sheikah tribe, just as you are."

"You can't be," Impa said warily. "There are hardly any survivors of my tribe left. Certainly I would have heard about you before if you really were a Sheikah."

Sheik was silent for a moment, giving the Sheikah guardian an unreadable look. "You do not trust me," she mused with little emotion.

"Well it's kind of hard to, considering the fact that you came out of nowhere," Impa said harshly.

"Lady Impa, you will find in our travels together that I am certainly one to be trusted," the Sheikah warrior said easily. "I mean you and your troops no ill will. In fact, my sole intent is to help you locate the source of the darkness that is plaguing Hyrule and bring it down, so that we may restore peace."

"So you say," the Sheikah guardian said dismissively as she turned to walk away, clearly done with this conversation as her caution and distrust were still set in stone. "But I've come to learn that you can never trust words. My main concern at the moment is finding Princess Zelda and returning her to safety. As far as I'm concerned, everything else can wait."

With that said, Impa abruptly turned on her heel and headed off into camp, her mind still swimming in confusion and misgivings about the strange Sheikah warrior. Sheik merely sighed in disappointment as she watched the Sheikah guardian leave, wishing she would understand.

"Don't worry," Link said, giving Sheik a small smile of encouragement as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "She's a little tough some times, but I'm sure she'll come around to you eventually."

The Sheikah warrior turned to face the hero, giving him a piercing, almost examining gaze with her rose-red eye. "Do _you _trust me, Link?" she asked, her voice still devoid of most emotion.

"Well… yeah," the hero said with a shrug. "I don't see why I shouldn't. After all, why else would you have helped us like you did?"

Link gave her a small smile to show that he was sincere, and even though he couldn't see it, Sheik returned it, her heart warmed by the sentiment. "Thank you," she said softly, a hint of gratitude and respect in her otherwise stoic tone. "Thank you for your trust…"

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><p><strong>Such a long, detailed chapter! But now we got Sheik along for the ride! She's one of my favorite characters to play as in HW, mostly for her speed and power! Gotta love epic Sheikah ladies (of which this chapter was full of!) Next time around, we'll be heading to Faron Woods and meeting Lana of course, and so I'm excited about that! But for now, I must be off! Don't forget to REVIEW (let's see if we can bump this baby over 100!) Until next time!<strong>


	6. Sorceress of the Woods

_Ok, so this chapter was originally going to cover the entire Faron Woods stage, but I decided to split it up because sure. Anyway, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited and a HUGE thank you to all 112 of you who have reviews! I really am amazed at how successful this story has become, especially since I never thought it really would be! Just for your info, its actually the #1 highest rated Hyrule Warriors based fic in the entire zelda tag! I can't believe it! Thanks so much guys! You're the fuel that keeps the fire of this story going! So with that said, let's get onto the reviews!_

_**UnNaturally Me**: Aw... thanks so much! (and yes, Skyward Sword ref for the win!)_

_**skyhopper**: Hahaha, well we'll see in this chapter how I plan on introducing Lana, as well as her lil crush on Link... ;)_

_**Pikatwig**: Well, its my understanding that Sheik is a girl in the game, so... Anyway, glad that I'm going a good job of explaining things and yeah, there's a short little scene before we get to Faron, so I hope you'll enjoy it!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Thanks! And I already have! :D_

_**Jack**: Yeah, I know, but I'm not really sticking to the character entrances exactly, since they'd be a little tedious I think... but whatever :)_

_**RandomButLoved**: Thanks! Glad you caught the SS ref! ;D And I'm also glad that you're noticing little characterizations that I've been doing, of which I believe this chapter is just full of! :D And while this chapter has Lana in it, I absolutely can't WAIT until we get to Cia (I already have her entire character planned out hahaha!)_

_**Ezakiel**: The Spirit of the Caves actually was in this part of the game and its my understanding that it barred progress in the caves or sent out more monsters or something like that. I would guess that Cia or Wizzro or someone recruited it to their side with magic or something, but who knows. It was a minor detail really. And yes, I do plan on explaining Sheik's presence much better, since I also didn't really get why Zelda found it necessary to disguise herself either (though I do have a theory, which I will incorporate here!)And as for the harp... I think that's really the last thing on Impa's mind right now, what with all the stress of trying to find Zelda and everything. And I'm sure that Zelda's not the only person in the world with a harp that might look like that, so... And yes, I'm looking forward to Lana's entrance in this chapter too! I plan on giving her a much larger role than the game had for her, since her character is so important to the plot after all. And as far as the action goes, I think I'm good for now, but thanks for asking. Its not that I have anything against you, its just that my biggest focus here is more on the emotions and character building more than anything else (though action is still important). But thanks anyway! :D_

_**gandalf42**: Nice! I also can't wait to write Link's reaction to Cia, especially considering the fact that for the most part Link is a pretty humble guy so probably seeing a woman with a crazy stalker crush on him would probably freak him out a little hahaha ;D And yes, Ghirahim is a creeper in SS and he'll still be a creeper here lol! And indeed, Lana is here! :D_

_**Sigma73**: Aw, thanks a ton! *blushes* And yeah, the thing with Volga was a typo, one that I should probably go back and fix hahaha... :P and yeah, I'm actually using both the fire rod and the naginata in this chapter (irony!)_

_**R-king93**: Good! :D_

_**mysteryfriend16**: Well, here they both are! :D_

_**Skydragon74193**: Thank you!_

_**mega-dark**: Eh, Eldin Caves weren't so bad for me (the stage that gave me tons of problems was Death Mountain actually) And as for the Hylian forces not finding Cia in Lanayru valley, she wasn't actually there at that point, but rather at her main base in the Palace of Souls, so yeah. And yeah, that tension will be pretty awkward later on when Zelda comes back... hehehe... I personally think Lana is an awesome character, who is an absolute blast to play as! :D And I loved ur Sony E3 ref hahahah!_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, Sheik is actually going to have several slip ups that hint at her true identity, but no one will really notice them... ;P As far as the split goes, I'd like to keep it under wraps for now, if that's alright, mostly since I'm still in the process of figuring everything out myself... ;)_

_**silverhawk88**: Hahaha, yeah, the game wasn't very discreet about Sheik's identity either I think, but whatever. And I'm glad to see you're still reading! :D_

_**Itherael**: Thanks!_

_**tAll3Shyguy Skull Land**: Thank you! Its nice to see that I'm getting some pub on Tumblr, but if I may ask, was it through a reblog or was it because of the promotion I've done for it on my own blog...? (Im just kinda curious ;D _

_**ultimateCC**: I think she was blushing too hahahah... ;) _

_**DarthPheonixFire**: Yeah, I kinda dislike Wizzro, but I do plan on making him more interesting, and hopefully this chapter will show a little of that_

_**GO ZeldaXLink**: I totally will!_

_**Lovely girl 10**: Thanks so much!_

_Wooo... So many reviews... But I never tire out on replying to them for you guys! Now let's get started!_

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><p><em>Chapter 5: Sorceress of the Woods<em>

The sun was blocked off by clouds once again as the Hylian forces marched steadily along the path that led to Faron Woods the next morning, keeping on guard for monsters, which they fortunately found relatively few of. Impa led the way at the front of the pack, her expression conveying her aggravation well. So far there had been no signs of the princess as they traveled deeper into the woods, but instead they had been joined by an ally that the Sheikah guardian believed they did not need and whom she certainly didn't want. Ever since they had encountered Sheik in the caves, Impa had a bad feeling about her, as if something was off about the Sheikah warrior. Of course, Link seemed to trust her openly, but the Sheikah guardian had not scolded him for it yet since he was still fresh when it came to warfare. But all the same, Impa was resolved to keep a close eye on Sheik; after all, the last thing she needed to deal with now was any sort of spy or traitor amidst their ranks.

As they headed closer to the forest, Impa couldn't help but overhear the mostly casual conversation between Link and Sheik that was going on behind her. It was clear that the naturally-curious hero was trying to chat the enigmatic Sheikah warrior up, but she didn't seem to be revealing too much about herself, something that gave the Sheikah guardian more reason to be suspicious about her.

"So, why do you keep your face covered?" Link asked her, though he wasn't meaning to pry if it was for personal reasons.

"Because I believe that a person's face does not always have to be seen," Sheik said vaguely, her tone still largely monotone.

"I don't understand," the hero frowned, wishing that she was more straightforward. "Are you trying to hide something?" he asked, not with suspicion, but instead with wonder.

"If I was trying to hide something, then I would not have told you anything about myself," the Sheikah warrior said cryptically. "But I told you both my name and my race. What else might you want to know?"

"A person's name and race is hardly anything to go by," Link said, wondering what reason Sheik had for being so mysterious in the first place. However, before he could ask her anything else, the Sheikah leader quieted him, something that caught Impa's attention as well.

"Listen," she said softly, her crimson eye narrowing as the subtle sounds of battle became apparent from nearby. "Do you hear that?"

Both the Sheikah guardian and the hero nodded frowned and nodded, the shrieks of monsters growing more and more apparent as they got closer to the entrance of Faron Woods itself. "Looks like they have a foothold here too," Impa said, referring to the enemy monsters that they had been encountering along this entire journey. "Come on," she ordered to the rest of the troops firmly. "Keep a close eye out for the princess! She could be closer than we know…"

* * *

><p>A small village was tucked away inside of the deepest depths of Faron Woods, and very few knew of its existence. It was a rather primitive place, its dwellings being composed of nothing more than the wood of the forest itself. However, this otherwise reclusive, peaceful place was certainly anything but now, as hordes of bulbins and gibdos beset it, causing havoc all over. The inhabitants of the village had already fled for safer parts, but they all still feared for their endangered home. What few of them knew however was that there was a force, however small, of soldiers fighting to save it from its invaders, a resistance that had been working across those parts for the past several weeks to free it from the monsters attacking the land.<p>

The unfolding battle between this resistance and the monsters was what the Hylian forces arrived in the hidden village to find. Without question, this had to be the group of freedom fighters that they had heard about through various rumors, meaning that their leader, a young woman that Impa hoped was Zelda, would certainly be among them. But as the Hylian troops ventured onto the battlefield and began aiding in the fight, Link, Impa and Sheik found no signs of the princess anywhere at all.

However, as they glanced around the area and began to fight off the bulbin forces, the three of them couldn't help but notice a sudden burst of blue, electric magic surging throughout the area several feet away from them, taking out several monsters at once. Though none of them stopped fighting, the hero and the two Sheikahs watched as a young woman dropped down onto the battlefield from above, and the moment they saw her, their hearts equally sank.

Indeed, this young girl was not the missing princess. She was of a slender, wispy build and of an average height and she had long, light blue hair which was tied up into a pony tail at the side of her head by a violet clip. She wore a purple, midriff bearing top and from the mantle on her right shoulder extended flowing white fabric to go with her long sleeves, and underneath her somewhat short purple and white skirt were white leggings accentuated with golden designs, which went into her violet boots. The girl's eyes were also violet, and they were noticeable large and expressive along with the rest of her rather pretty, youthful features. As she dropped down into the battlefield, she held a thick brown tome close to her chest as she rushed towards a fallen soldier, looking over his injuries with concern before another sight caught her attention.

The hero tore his blade through a number of nearby bulbins, cutting them down with obvious ease. The young girl watched him carefully for a moment, almost entranced by how much skill and valor he wielded into battle, until one of the monsters he slayed landed dead right beside her, reminding her of what was going on around her.

"You…" she said softly to the hero as he approached her, her voice youthful and lovely to match her appearance.

"Who are you?" Link asked curiously as he sheathed his sword now that the monsters were gone.

The girl blinked her slight awe away for a moment or two before she smiled softy at him. "I'm Lana," she said brightly. "It's nice to meet you, Link…"

"How do you know me?" the hero asked, wondering how so many people knew his name before he even had the chance to introduce himself.

"Well…" Lana said with a bit of awkward hesitation. "Let's just say I've heard a little about you and your friends…"

Before Link could ask this mysterious young woman anything else, Sheik and Impa joined him, having finished their own respective battles. "Are you the one leading these warriors?" the Sheikah guardian asked the young woman, eyeing her up and down carefully.

The soldier that Lana was tending to rose as another knight helped him get to safety, freeing her to stand and address them properly. "Yes, I am," she said with a firm nod.

"You can use magic," Impa mused, noting how the girl had used cleared out the nearby earlier. "Where did you learn your craft?" she asked, knowing that spell-casters outside of the Sheikah or the royal family were rare to find in their current day and age.

"Oh, well… I'm a sorceress," Lana informed, nodding down to her magical book, the Tome of Spirits. "You know the one who started this war? Cia? We come from the same magical clan."

"Ah, well that explains it," Sheik said, nodding in understanding.

"And what does this 'Cia' want from Hyrule?" Impa asked, realizing that whoever this Cia person was, she had to be their main enemy if she was the one responsible for this sudden outbreak of monsters.

"You really want to know?" Lana asked, holding her book close to her as she smiled mysteriously. "Well… Why don't you all help me defend the forest? If you do that, then I might tell you…"

Confused by this sudden request and the mystery that this young woman was showing, Link, Impa and Sheik all gave each other wondering glances. However, before any of them could say anything else, the sounds of battle emerged from the deeper parts of the woods, catching Lana's attention instantly. Her coy smile faded as she quickly turned around to head back into the fray. "Well, come on!" she shouted to the trio energetically. "There's no time to waste! Let's get to it!"

The three of them didn't argue with her there. After all, even if they had not found Zelda, they now had a lead as to who was responsible for these attacks, and that was something they were not about to let go of. And besides, the forest certainly needed all the help it could get. The last thing any of them were willing to do was turn a blind eye to its desperate plight.

Both the Hylian troops and all of Lana's troops that were nearby immediately set out from the west, hoping to take care of the source of the threat plaguing the forest. Already a group of bulbins was rushing for them as the different forces began to split up to defend different parts of the forest, though Link, Impa, Sheik and Lana remained relatively close for the time being. And, fortunately, they didn't have to guess too much as to who was the leader of the dark forces that they were already battling against.

"Scatter those Hyrulian pests!" Wizzro called out from the enemy keep to the north, though his cackling command echoed all throughout the woods. "Exterminate them!"

"Not him again…" the hero said in aggravation as he ran his blade through a bublin's stomach before moving onto the next kill.

"He sure does seem to get around…" Sheik mused as she played a melody known as the Requiem of Shadows, summoning a wave of darkness to take out her nearby foes.

"So that wizard's in charge, huh?" Lana said after creating a wall of magic energy, which she used to plow into a group of unprepared enemies. "I bet if we defeat him, these monsters will finally leave the forest alone!"

"I doubt he'll allow himself to be defeated so easily a second time…" Impa growled in annoyance. "He's turning into a real thorn in our sides."

Almost immediately after this exchange between the warriors, Wizzro shouted out to the Hylian troops once more, hoping to lower their morale as he carried out his newest devious plan. "Foolish little worms!" he scoffed at their efforts to clear out some of the nearby keeps that were filled with an assortment of his forces. "This'll teach you to interfere with my plans!"

As the allied troops continued to fight, they were all startled by the sudden rumbling of the earth, which was soon followed by multiple tall plants springing up from the wooded forest ground. However, unlike most plants, these seemed to be sentient, moving freely as they let out a strange purple substance from their maws. Sheik noticed how several of the soldiers near her cried out in pain and grew week upon being caught up in it, and she warily backed away from the creature, already knowing well what was happening.

"Why is that plant spewing poison into the surrounding area?" the Sheikah warrior asked as she tried to think of a way to get in close to it without touching the poison.

"That's a Deku Baba!" Lana exclaimed with a suspired gasp, knowing how dangerous such foes were. "Unless we can take it out with a sharp, ranged attack, everything in this forest will die of poisoning!"

"In that case, we'd better lend a hand," Impa said as she switched her giant blade out for the other weapon she made sure to always carry with her, a long naginata that she could harness Sheikah flame magic through. "We'll have to split up from here. There's about four of these things spread throughout this area, from what I can tell. Taking them out is our main priority right now."

"We'll need to hurry," the sorceress said worriedly as she glanced over at one of the Deku Babas, noticing how the cloud of poison surrounding it was already starting to expand. "If we don't then the whole forest could be covered in that stuff in a matter of minutes! Be careful everyone!"

At this, all four of them spread out on their own separate paths, with Sheik and Impa heading more towards the south and Link and Lana taking a more northern path. With the ranged, fiery attacks that her naginata allowed her, the Sheikah guardian was able to land a few hits on the Deku Baba that she had decided to engage, but as the poison surrounding it grew, she found that it was getting harder and harder for her to land a hit on it lest she get caught up in the deadly substance. She glanced over a few feet to her right to see that Sheik was having much of the same problem, since all she really had in the way of ranged attacks were her kunais, which didn't do nearly as much damage as she hoped for.

"Poisonous weed…" the Sheikah warrior muttered under her breath in frustration before she called over to Impa. "My attacks have no effect. We need a new strategy…"

The Sheikah guardian said nothing in response, though she did nod in agreement nonetheless. Though they regretted it, they fell back, heading back to the starting clearing in the hopes of coming up with a proper attack plan. Meanwhile, the hero and the sorceress had reached the two Deku Babas to the north, where the poison had already been spread so thick that they couldn't get anywhere close to the plants.

"The poison's spreading too fast!" Link exclaimed as he took out a few nearby bulbins for good measure, though like Lana, he was doing his best to cautiously keep away from the cloud of poison that was quickly startng to encroach on them. "What should we do?"

The young sorceress bit her lip anxiously for a moment as she examined the Deku Babas, knowing full well that they were running out of time. "This might be a bit of a longshot…" she said hesitantly, though her spur of the moment plan was the best that she could come up with at a moment like this. "But it will have to work for now." Closing her eyes in concentration, Lana held her hands out in front of her as a bright red glow formed around them. Less than a moment later, a long rod with a glowing red orb at its end appeared in her hands, and she didn't hesitate to hold it out to the confused hero. "This is the fire rod, Link," she explained quickly, knowing they had no time to waste. "It has some long range attacks, and since Deku Babas are vulnerable to fire, it should be able to wear them down a little bit. While you take care of them, I'm going to try and find a bow that we can use to take them out for good. If I remember correctly, there should be one located somewhere south of the village."

Link sheathed his sword as he took the fire rod, examining it warily. "Ok, but how does this thing-" before he could finish asking, a sudden burst of flame shot from the orb at the tip of the rod, startling the hero. Fortunately, Lana had the wits about her to create a temporary barrier around herself to shield her from the flames before they quickly died out.

"Careful," she said with a small giggle. "It's a little touchy. For now, just try to aim for the Deku Babas and the rod should do the rest. Good luck, Link!" she called out before dashing off to the south in search of the bow she had talked about earlier.

After Lana left, Link looked down to the fire rod in his hands once more, still unsure of how its mysterious power worked. However, before he took the sorceress up on the advice she had given him, he glanced up at Proxi, who was flittering nearby at the ready as usual. "So, what do you think?" he asked the fairy, hoping that she knew more about this new weapon than he did.

"I'm sensing a lot of magical energy radiating from this thing," Proxi stated as she flew in closer to it, though she made sure to stay clear of its flame emitting tip. "Have you ever used something like this before?"

"No," the hero said with a frown. "But I guess the only thing I can do is listen to what Lana said and point it at these things."

The fairy nodded in agreement as they both turned towards the Deku Babas, making sure that they were still far enough away from the poison. "Yeah, but be careful," she cautioned. "Fire is a dangerous, unpredictable element. If you don't watch out, we won't have to worry about the whole forest being filled with poison 'cause I'll be burnt to the ground instead!"

Link heeded her words as he aimed the tip of the fire rod towards the nearest Deku Baba and, sure enough, a plume of fire shot out of it, cutting through the cloud of poison and landing a direct hit, despite the distance of several feet between them. The hero smiled in satisfaction as he sent out another fire blast, hitting the living plant once more as it recoiled in obvious pain, though it still wasn't enough to take the creature down. But nonetheless, he continued attacking, getting more and more used to his new weapon while the sorceress hunted down what they needed to take care of these pests for good.

And sure enough, Lana soon found what she was looking for. In order to stay clear of the creeping poison, the young sorceress had taken to the treetops, leaping gracefully from branch to branch as she made a beeline for the southern end of the forest. And it didn't take her too long to locate the item in question, locked safely away in a small chest in an abandoned keep. With a small smile, the girl descended back down to the earth and claimed the bow as her own, before quickly making her way back towards the others.

However, even despite the fiery attacks of both Impa's naginata and Link's fire rod, the hero and the two Sheikahs were quickly starting to find themselves in dire straits. The poison had quickly spread to the point that the only safe area was a small clearing near the entrance of the woods, where Link, Impa and Sheik had all managed to find themselves grouped towards. With each passing second, the deadly substance grew closer to them on all sides and there was little any of them could do to stop its advance. The trio stood back to back as they found that there was no way of escape, but even so, they continued to try and hit the monstrous plants with everything they had, even if they attacks were no longer reaching them anymore.

"Nothing's working!" Link shouted to Sheik and Impa as he gripped the fire rod even tighter, watching worriedly as the poison threatened to come onto them.

"Curse these infernal plants!" the Sheikah warrior growled in frustration, knowing that her musical magic could do nothing to weaken the Deku Babas at all. "They're just as stubborn as Wizzro himself!"

Impa glared at the Deku Babas, all of them wriggling off in the distance away from them, even though their poisonous influence had spread far. Already quite a few of her soldiers had fallen to the deadly cloud, and now it seemed as though the three of them were next. "Keep attacking!" she commanded the hero and the Sheikah warrior firmly, even though she knew it was pointless. "We can't fall here, not while Princess Zelda is still out there missing somewhere!"

Link and Sheik exchanged a brief, worried glance, but they both nodded nonetheless, even as the poison began to creep up towards their toes, giving the three of them no room left to move. As the violet cloud finally overtook them, they all began to cough roughly as the thick substance entered their lungs and seeped its way seamlessly into their skin like air. It quickly started to sap their energy away, numbing their senses and filling them with a heavy, laborious pain all at once. However, as the two Sheikah women finally collapsed to their knees, no longer able to stand amidst the cloud of poison that was starting to kill them, the hero remained standing nonetheless, even though it was incredibly difficult. And, though pain mounted each of his slow steps, he began to move towards the nearest Deku Baba, realizing that now that he was enclosed in its inescapable field of poison, there was only one thing he could do to keep himself and his comrades from dying, even though it was incredibly risky.

"Link!" Sheik coughed out roughly as she caught sight of him through the violet fog. "W-What are y-you doing!?"

Link didn't answer as he merely groaned out in pain, remembering what Impa had just said moments ago. They could not die now, not while Zelda was still missing and quite possibly in danger. "Link!" Proxi called out to the hero worriedly as she flittered just above the cloud of poison. "You need to stop! You're pushing yourself too hard!"

The hero merely shook his head as he came to stand right before the Deku Baba, his legs threatening to give up on him as his body began to shut down. But nonetheless, he refused to give up, no matter what the cost to himself was. If he could get rid of at least one of these beasts, then he could help his allies even in such a small way, which was worth it to him. He glared up at the monstrous plant, which had taken notice of his close proximity and appeared to be quite surprised that he had gotten in so close to it. But nonetheless, it let out a growling roar as it reared its head back, before it snapped its sharp-toothed maw towards Link, viewing him as a snack and little else. That is, until its mouth chomped down on the tip of the fire rod instead.

The Deku Baba let out an earsplitting screech as its entire form immediately caught fire, such a direct attack scorching it critically. Link continued to keep the fire rod held towards the creature, even though the edges of his vision were starting to grow dark and his body began to be seized by convulsions from the poison. Sheik and Impa merely watched him in shock as they felt their own bodies grow weaker, but all of the sudden, the murderous tendrils of poison suddenly began to dissipate, specifically the moment that the Deku Baba that the hero had attacked collapsed to the ground and withered away, finally taking its thick poison with it.

Unable to remain standing any longer, Link finally collapsed to the ground semi-consciously, his heart racing and his lungs crying for fresh air as he lay unable to move thanks to the paralyzing effect the poison had on him. A cloud of poison still hovered over Sheik and Impa, but only for a moment as the rest of the Deku Babas nearby were apparently taken out by some unseen force, much to their confusion. Though still quite weak, both Sheikahs were much better off in their condition than the hero, as the two of them were actually able to sit up and work on regaining their strength. As if on cue, Lana dropped down from her perch high in the trees with the bow on hand, looking around to make sure that she had taken care of all of the Deku Babas. "Woo," she sigh with a sigh as she helped both Sheik and Impa to their feet. "That was a close one. At least those poisonous plants are finally taken care of. What a relief!"

"T-thank you…" Impa said with sincere gratitude, though she was still trying to catch her breath. "If y-you had not come when you d-did, then we would have b-been dead for sure…"

"Don't mention it," the sorceress said with a humble smile. "Hey, wait a minute… Where's Link?"

Both Sheikahs nodded over in the hero's direction as he lay several feet away from them, still unmoving as he let out a soft, hoarse groan of agony. Lana gasped in shock as she quickly hurried over to him, placing an arm around him as she propped him up.

Link opened his eyes weakly as he let out a soft cough, his vision blurry and his body feeling as though he had been drowning for hours, even though he had only been subjected to the poison for a few minutes. "L-Lana?" he asked, his voice little more than a rough, small whisper.

Hearing him say her name in such a way made the sorceress's heart clench with pity and grief, as well as the slightest bit of terror and woe. And yet, she knew that now was not the moment for such thoughts as she placed a tender, albeit nervously shaking hand on his chest, biting her lip as she quieted him down. "Shh…" she said, her voice soft and comforting as a healing blue aura surrounded her hand. "It's ok… You're safe now… Unlike Sheik and Impa, the poison managed to get into your bloodstream, but I should be able to get it out since it's not too deep. Now just lay still and…" she trailed off as her hand took on a bright glow for a moment or two and the hero let out a sharp gasp of agony as his eyes grew wide for a second, before he wearily shut them again, his breathing shallow and shaking.

Lana's hand quickly flew off of his chest as she looked over him with wide lavender eyes, hoping that she had not done anything to hurt him even more. However, those concerns were quickly put behind her as Link opened his eyes once more, his breathing returning to normal as he attempted to sit up. The sorceress was quick to help him as he took in several deep breaths, before he finally regained enough of his energy to speak.

"Thanks…" the hero said, giving her a small smile, one that she returned with a soft blush lighting up her cheeks.

The two of them stood up together and rejoined Sheik and Impa, all of them taking note that the area was thankfully free of both poison and monsters. However, the poison had clearly taken quite a toll on all of the nearby allied troops, with many of them being adversely effected by it and some having even lost their lives to its influence, much to both Impa and Lana's displeasure. "Everyone's pretty tired…" Lana said with a worn sigh as she looked around the area. "We should retreat to the Deku Tree for a moment. It should be safe there, which will give us a chance to regroup and strategize."

Link, Sheik and Impa nodded in agreement with this plan as they gathered up the nearby troops and began to make their way towards the large Deku Tree in the center of the woods. As was to be expected, there were plenty of bulbins and gibdos lining the way there, but since Sheik and Impa had recuperated enough from the poison to fight, they took the lead and cut down most of these weaker foes with ease, while Lana stayed by Link, who was still somewhat weakened and ill, to ensure that he could make it there safely. Though the trail to the tree was winding and arduous, the allied troops eventually caught sight of its tall form, its large, hollowed out center standing out as a safe haven for them.

"We're almost there!" Lana exclaimed with a relieved smile. "Come on, everyone! Now we should have a little time to finally catch our breath before we head out again!"

However, what none of the Hylian forces could have seen was the single glowing eye watching them all from the shadows, waiting for them to finally make their approach on the Deku Tree so he could take them all out at once. And as they finally passed into the large threshold of the tree, the dark wizard finally decided to make its appearance.

Wizzro appeared in the very heart of the Deku Tree, right as the Hylian forces began to enter inside. Sheik, Impa, Link and Lana all immediately stopped in their tracks as they saw that the enemy commander had so easily invaded their base, but the wizard simply grinned wickedly at them as he let out a callous laugh. "So, you all decided to flee to this stumpy little bush, huh?" he asked darkly. "Too bad none of you will be able to get the rest that you all need so badly…"

"Get out of here!" Lana shouted angrily as he held her tome at the ready to attack. "The Deku Tree is sacred ground and you have no right to trespass on it!"

"You want me to leave?" Wizzro asked challengingly. "Go ahead and make me."

With another sinister chuckle, the dark wizard suddenly vanished into thin air, much to everyone's confusion, before he suddenly reappeared directly behind Link, startling the young hero by gripping both of his shoulders tightly.

"Aw, what's the matter, little hero…?" Wizzro whispered sadistically to the weakened hero. "Did the poison from my Deku Babas tire you out too much? Perhaps now would be the prefect chance to take you to my mistress… After all, she'd much prefer it if you were too _weak _to put up a fight…"

Link's grip on the fire rod tightened upon hearing this, a burst of anger rushing through him as the dark wizard coldly mocked him for something _he _had caused. If there was one thing the hero hated, it was being considered weak and insignificant, especially by his enemies. "Get off!" he shouted in fury as he roughly spun around, breaking the wizard's hold on him. As Link turned, he was quick to point the fire rod at Wizzro, but as the burst of flame came free from it, the elusive wizard disappeared once more, leaving the hero and all of his allies to watch in both horror and disbelief as the fire missed its target…

And exploded into the interior of the Deku Tree instead.

Panic filled the entirety of the Hylian troops as the fire quickly spread up through the tree, quickly creating a dangerous blaze. Already, Lana, Impa and Sheik were working to get everyone out safely, but all Link could do was stand numbly and watch in shock and guilt as the disaster he had unintentionally started grew widely out of control.

"Enjoy your little success, weasels!" Wizzro called out from nowhere to the scattered Hylian troops, his wicked laughter echoing throughout the burning tree as he reveled in his successful plan. "Because now, your spirits will be burned to ashes! And it's all thanks to your honorable little _hero…"_

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><p><strong>Well, I'll just leave you all on a cliffhanger, since things seem to be getting a little long here... Hahahaha... Hope that this chapter was sufficient for you all, even though I had wanted to write a little more, but at least I have some fuel in my for the next chapter, which will be basically more of the same, but its all good! :D Anyway, for now I encourage you all to show some love through REVIEWS as always. Until next time!<strong>


	7. In the Greenwood

_Ok, so, this may have taken a while, but that's only really because I'm home for Thanksgiving break and writer's block has been hitting me hard, so, if this chapter is a bit lame, don't blame me! Also, Super Smash Bros is another amazing drain of time that has also barred me from writing! ahahahaha... ;D Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed/favorited! Now onto the reviews!_

_**Pikori78**: There might be a little fluff here! Who knows?! ;D_

_**Sigma73**: Well, I figured that Impa just has both in case she needs them. And yeah, Ghoma is in this chapter and even I gotta admit he's a bit of a pushover... hahaha ;D_

_**Nintendoman01**: Yeah and ahahaha yeah_

_**Zelink123**: Thanks so much! :D_

_**Itherael**: Thanks!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Thanks! I will!_

_**Draconic**: I don't know if Saria or Malon might appear, but maybe? I haven't gotten everything figured out so I might be able to find a place for them (since they are two of my favorite characters in OoT!) And yeah, there's going to be more era jumping than in the game among different characters, but I can't say too much about it now! ;D_

_**Pikatwig**: I love Lana too and I would love to see her in a regular Zelda game! And yeah, you pretty much pegged exactly how things are going to go down in the aftermath of Link catching the tree on fire. ;D_

_**Legendoffun**: Thanks! I have to make things a little original after all!_

_**skyhopper**: Thanks! Glad you liked it!_

_**Ezakiel**: I don't know if I'll put any more Deku Babas in here, since I like to incorporatenew stuff with each chapter. And yeah, you'd think that the Hylian army would have some archers in there... Something to think about... And yeah, I think it was a little shortsighted of Lana to give Link the fire rod in a FOREST of all places (and the game even suggests you use the fire rod as the preferred weapon for this stage believe it or not!) And Lana's character will show herself more and more as we go along. Don't worry though, I don't end on too many cliffhangers, just enough to leave you wanting more! ;D _

_**RandomButLoved**: Yeah, Wizzro was a total jerk here and I hate to say that I'm only gonna put Link through more junk in this chapter too. And I think we'll even get to see a glimpse of Cia at the end of this chapter... And if I can find it, I'll to totally check out that writing thing you're talking about. After all, there's always room for improvement! _

_**gandalf42**: Yeah, Link should have been more careful! And as for Cia, we're gonna get a little glimpse of her at the end of this chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy it! And I could totally see a catfight breaking out between Zelda and Cia over Link! It would be hilarious! _

_**Flameshield**: Thanks! I just thought it was a nice change and you're right! It is sorta set up for how Link acts later on! Glad you noticed! ;D_

_**DarthPhoenixFire**: Indeed we do! :D And yeah I don't get why people hate Lana! She's awesome!_

_**Stylin80**: hahaha thanks!_

_**Book of untold stories**: Thanks!_

_**R-king 93**: Don't worry. I never lay the angst on THAT thick (at least I don't think so!)_

_**OkayDokay33**: You totally got what Lana was supposed to be feeling just right! I'm glad it was clear but not too obvious, since that's what I was going for! And yeah, I don't like it when things (even weapons) just come out of nowhere. Everything has an origin, so why not tell it? I'm also glad you noticed all of the character dynamics. I like to give everyone the chance to shine equally, and besides, flawed characters are always more interesting!_

_**ultimateCC**: I see what you did there... ;D _

_Ok, well with that all done, let's get started, shall we?_

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><p><em>Chapter 6: In the Greenwood<em>

The flames filling the Deku tree were spreading at an alarming rate, filling the surrounding area with a thick cloud of smoke. Since a large majority of the Hylian troops had either been in or near the tree when the blaze began, they were in the midst of a panicked scramble now, most of them either trying to stay clear of the fire or trying to find a way to put it out. And yet, even despite all of the chaos raging around her, Impa remained as calm as she could as she shouted firm commands to her troops, though she really had no idea how to stop the inferno herself, as the nearest large water source was quite a ways away.

"Everyone stay clear of those flames!" the Sheikah guardian shouted, a cross expression on her face as she knew they had no time to deal with something like this. "I want a squadron on the hunt for that wizard immediately! The rest of us will stay here and figure out a way to quench this fire!"

Impa paused for a moment as the soldiers continued to run about, but as she noticed the hero run past her, her glare sharpened and she didn't hesitate to reprimand him for what he had just done. "Link!" she growled in fury, marching over to him as he tried to join with the group of soldiers that were heading for the stream. "What were you thinking?! You should know better than to use a dangerous weapon like that without the proper restraint!"

"Impa, I didn't mean to," Link protested in his own defense, even though he still felt incredibly guilty for what he had done. And yet, even despite his remorse, he had decided to resolve his mistake by working to fix it instead of simply moping about it. "I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"Accident or no, this is the second time that your haste and impulsiveness have put lives in danger," the Sheikah guardian said with a disappointed scowl. "You are a good fighter, Link. You're brave and strong. But you need to learn that in a battle you must not only attack, but also counter attack; wait and listen. It's not always all about the offensive, and you'd be wise to learn that."

Though the hero took her words to heart, he still couldn't help but feel belittled by them, knowing this was the second time she had scolded him for something that wasn't really his fault. After all, the only reason why the Deku Tree had caught fire was because he had been tricked by Wizzro, not because of his own shortcomings. And it seemed as though Lana agreed with him on this as she interjected into the conversation, taking a brief break from her attempts at putting the fire out.

"Impa, if you don't mind me saying so, this wasn't really Link's fault," the sorceress said with pity for the hero's plight and worry for the forest in general. "This happened because of Wizzro, which is why we have to stop him. But first, we need to find a way to douse this fire. We can't just let the Deku Tree burn! Now, what should we do…?"

"What we need is enough water to put it out all at once," Impa said, putting her aggravation with Link behind her for the moment to focus on the task at hand. "But finding that anywhere near here would take a miracle in and of itself…"

Both Link and Lana sighed as they realized the Sheikah guardian was right, which was only making this problem even more challenging. However, no more than a moment later, Proxi, having been struck with a sudden idea, flew down close to the hero, beating her tiny wings together in excitement. "Hey!" she exclaimed brightly. "I think I can feel the presence of a Great Fairy somewhere here in the woods! Maybe she can help us!"

Link nodded in agreement with this idea, remembering how the Great Fairy had greatly aided him and Zelda back in Hyrule Field several weeks ago, before relaying the fairy's words to the rest of the group. "We need to find a Great Fairy," he said as he made sure the fire rod was secured to his back as he took out his sword to utilize it instead, having learned his lesson about the potential dangers of the magical weapon. "There's one nearby and she might be able to help us if we ask her."

"Great idea, Link!" Lana said with renewed hope, a wide smile on her face. "You're right! If I remember correctly, there is a Fairy Fountain somewhere to the east of here! We need to hurry and talk to the Great Fairy, otherwise, we can kiss the Deku Tree goodbye!"

"Alright then," Impa said, her tone still serious and firm. "Let's move out!" The Sheikah guardian began to follow the sorceress as she began to lead the way to the eastern forest, but the hero lingered behind for a moment, taking a quick glance behind him at the Deku Tree as a sudden realization hit him.

"Wait!" Link called out to his two allies, who briefly stopped to face him, though neither of them realizing that they were forgetting something quite important. "Where's Sheik?"

Impa and Lana exchanged a brief glance, though the sorceress conveyed more worry for their missing ally than the Sheikah guardian did. "I haven't seen her since the fire started," Lana said with a concerned frown as she glanced towards the blazing tree.

"I saw her trying to get some soldiers out of the tree just a few minutes ago," Impa commented, the distaste and suspicion for the Sheikah warrior clear in her tone.

"She might still be in there then!" Proxi exclaimed to Link, who by now had turned to the Deku Tree fully.

"We have to go make sure she's ok," the hero said with resolve, hoping that Sheik was not in any danger and that no harm had come to her.

"There's no time!" the Sheikah guardian protested, knowing that going to look for her least favorite of their allies was the last priority she wanted to focus on at the moment. "If we don't put out the fire soon, the Deku Tree will burn to cinders!"

"We can't just leave her behind!" Link said, even though he knew he was in no place to stand up against Impa, especially after how he had let her down twice now. "What if she's hurt?"

"At a moment like this, the needs of the majority outweigh the needs of any one individual," Impa said coldly, sending him a sharp scarlet glare. "Now, come on. We need to get to that Fairy Fountain immediately."

Upon hearing this, the hero closed his eyes and clenched his fists at his sides, taking in a deep breath in anticipation of the reprimand he was about to receive after this. But all the same, he knew that he could not simply leave the Sheikah warrior, or anyone else for that matter, to die in the blazing inferno that he had unintentionally caused. "I'm sorry, Impa," he said with sincerity rather than defiance, since that was something he did not want to show to the respected Sheikah guardian, even if he did not agree with her command at the moment. Without another word, Link began to rush off towards the burning Deku Tree as Impa spun around and watched him in disbelief, sending him a harsh glare all the while.

"That boy's stubbornness is going to get him killed one day…" she muttered in aggravation, knowing that there was no time to chase after him as she turned to head towards the Fairy Fountain once more.

A small smile of admiration appeared on Lana's face as she watched the hero run off gallantly towards the dangerous flames, seeing his clear courage shine through his actions more than anything else. "It's not stubbornness," the sorceress said as she prepared to lead the way to the Great Fairy. "Its bravery. And it's the _exact_ reason why he's destined to be the hero Hyrule needs…"

* * *

><p>With each passing second, the inferno filling the Deku Tree got worse and worse. The smoke surrounding its immediate area was so thick that Link was barely even able to see the burning tree at all as he rushed towards it, taking out any bulbin that crossed his path with ease. Before entering into the cloud of toxic smoke, the hero quickly wrapped the end of his scarf around his mouth and nose so that he wouldn't have to breathe the dangerous fumes as he allowed Proxi to take refuge inside of his cap. And then, without another moment's hesitation, he entered into the Deku Tree's burning keep, knowing that Sheik had to be somewhere inside.<p>

The temperature inside of the tree's hallow center was unbearable as Link stopped in the middle of it, trying his best to stay clear of the tongues of flame licking at him, singing pieces of hi clothes but thankfully not burning him just yet. He strained his eyes to see even a few inches in front of him through the smoke, since this was where it had gathered the thickest, however, he saw no signs of anyone, not even the Sheikah warrior. Fortunately, it seemed as though everyone had evacuated safely, but the hero didn't want to take any chances of leaving anyone behind.

"Sheik!" he called out as loudly and succinctly as he could, wanting to conserve as much air as possible. "Sheik, are you in here?!"

Though Link barely heard it, a response did come in the form of a small, frail-sounding voice. "Yes!" Sheik answered, her voice horse and weak. The hero glanced around hurriedly once more, even though the smoke was burning his eyes, before finally spotting a hint of blue amidst the mix of grey smoke and orange fire surrounding him. Immediately, he made his way over to the Sheikah warrior to find her in a poor state indeed. She was doubled over on her hands and knees, caught up in the midst of a terrible coughing fit from having inhaled so much smoke, even despite the cloth that covered her own face. She glanced up at Link as he approached her with a look of immense concern for her condition, while weariness and exhaustion reflected in her own crimson eyes. Sheik had lingered in the tree much longer than anyone else as she did everything she could to escort the injured soldiers out, as well as using the water-based magic that the Serenade of Water provided her with to try and put the flames out, but to no avail. Because of her brave attempts however, she had suffered quite a bit from both the burns she had been unfortunate enough to receive and the smoke that she had been breathing in for far too long. By now, she was so weak that she was no longer able to stand, unable to pick herself back up and get out on her own.

Link noticed this fact immediately as he knelt down beside her, placing a protective arm around her shoulders as he noticed that she was trembling from convulsions. "Can you get up?" he asked her quickly, the smoke starting to choke him up as well. The Sheikah warrior simply answered him with a shake of her head and a low groan as he blonde locks fell even more in front of her face while she kept her head down and out of the smoke.

The hero frowned under his scarf as he took another look around the burning tree, trying to spot the nearest exit and praying that Lana and Impa would make it to the Great Fairy soon. However, before he could say or do anything else, Sheik was quick to catch his attention with another groan before she spoke. "L-Link…" she began, her voice barely more than a feeble whisper as she tried to convey her message in as few words as possible. "North… a-and south are… b-blocked by fire… E-east has caved i-in…"

"You mean the exits?" Link asked in slight confusion as the Sheikah warrior gave him a small nod of confirmation. "Then I guess west is our only option…" he said with a sigh as he realized that the western threshold of the tree was the furthest away from their current position, making things all the more difficult. And yet, the hero was not about to give up. His heart was pounding with adrenaline and determination as he quickly yet gently took Sheik into his arms and lifted her up, noting how light and apparently fragile her frame seemed to be, which seemed strange for someone who fought like she did. But nonetheless, he made sure that she was secure and not as subjected to the fire and smoke as he was as he began to head to the western exit, struggling to see his way through the inferno and trying his best not to get disoriented.

Though it took some doing, Link eventually managed to locate the western exit by the thin stream of light from the outside that was burning in through the smoke somehow. However, by the time he found it, he too was succumbing to the nearby fire. Breathing was becoming an incredibly difficult feat in and of itself and he had already taken a few burns, though thankfully none of them were critical, though they hurt nonetheless. His steps had become noticeably slower as he began to become sick from the fumes all around him, but he did not stop, at least not until an ear-splitting creak sounded from above him.

Startled by the noise, the hero paused, still holding tightly onto the semi-conscious Sheikah warrior, and glanced up towards the high wooden ceiling of the keep, his jaw dropping in shock at what he saw. Somehow, a large piece of tree bark had broken off from the rest of the tree and was quickly plummeting down towards them, its entirety engulfed in flames as it came down. Link had almost no time to react to it, save for to use most of his remaining strength to leap out of its path as it came crashing to the ground a few feet away, knocking the hero to the ground and shoving Sheik out of his arms.

The hero was stunned for a moment or two as he lay on the ashy ground, chocking aggressively from the smoke that the burning bark had stirred up. However, when he looked towards the western exit once more, his heart sank as he saw that the piece of wood had completely blocked off their last way of escape.

"N-no!" he exclaimed in dismay, weakly rising to his feet, although he almost collapsed immediately back down. His breathing sharp and shallow, Link ran to the smoldering wall of bark, not even thinking about the fact that it was covered in embers as he desperately placed his hands against it in an attempt to shove it out of the way, before quickly retracting them and letting out a cry of pain at his burnt skin.

"Link…" Sheik called out softly from the ground behind him, and the hero didn't hesitate to ignore his stinging hands and rush to her side as he got down to her level and giving her an apologetic look. "I-it… it's no use… We're t-trapped…"

The Sheikah warrior let out a small, shuddering breath as she shut her scarlet eye wearily as Link took her into his arms once more in an attempt to keep her conscious. "Sheik…" he said guiltily, his voice just as hoarse and weak as hers was. "I…. I'm sorry… This is all my fault…"

"N-no…" Sheik whispered softly, looking up at him once more. "It's not… This f-fire did not… happen b-because of you… D-don't even think that… for a s-second…"

Link frowned and shook his head, not believing her. Even though both Sheik and Lana tried to defend him and claim that Wizzro had been the cause of this fire, the hero knew that it was his recklessness and anger that had caused him to misfire the fire rod. Impa had been right in saying that he was too impulsive and careless. He always had been, and now he was paying the price for it. And yet, he wouldn't have felt so bad about it if Sheik hadn't been dragged into the disaster that he had created as well. He had put so many lives in danger and even though almost everyone had fortunately been saved, the only two people the hero was unable to save was himself and one of their best allies. And no matter what anyone told him, Link couldn't help but feel immensely guilty for that fact alone.

Keeping his head down so he wouldn't be as susceptible to the smoke, the hero was silent for a moment as he looked down into the Sheikah warrior's exhausted face. While he couldn't see much of it thanks to the cloth over her face and the hair over one eye, he could still see one of her ruby eyes as she stared up at him almost intensely, even despite the fact that she could barely breathe or move. Link averted her admittedly beautiful gaze out of remorse as he let out a small sigh, knowing that he was running low on air and energy as well.

"D-don't worry, Sheik…" the hero reassured her softly. "We'll g-get out of here… Impa a-and Lana are o-on their… way t-to the Great Fairy… S-she'll help us…"

Though comforted by this news, the Sheikah warrior could not help but frown under her face coverings as she looked up at the hero tenderly. "Link…" she muttered gently. "W-why did you… come back f-for me…? W-why risk your life… for someone you… b-barely know…?"

"Because," the hero said with absolute certainty in his weakened voice as Sheik's question brought back a fond memory of the missing princess. "S-someone once t-told me… that a g-good warrior… never l-leaves anyone behind… n-no matter who t-they are…"

Sheik took in a small breath upon hearing this, but she said nothing in regards to his statement, instead only giving him a small nod of gratitude. However, at the same time, she could feel the void of unconsciousness begin to tug at her, her vision growing blurry and distant. "Link," she said a bit louder, knowing that remaining conscious was integral to remaining alive at a moment like this, lest she fall into a coma or worse. "K-keep me awake… P-please…"

The hero nodded solemnly, even if he wasn't sure how he would do as she said. "What s-should I do…?" he asked, his voice soft and rough, but much stronger than the Sheikah warrior's was.

"A-anything…" Sheik said with a soft, fading breath. "At l-least until t-they…get help…"

Link frowned as Sheik let out another harsh cough, knowing that conversing with her was clearly out of the question, as she could barely even get a word out without choking on the unbreathable air all around them. He began to panic when he saw her eye begin to droop shut, understanding just as much as she did how dangerous it was to drift off into unconsciousness in an environment like this. And so, as the hero saw the flames surrounding them start to encroach upon them with each passing second, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, before doing the only thing that could keep them both calm at a moment like this.

The Sheikah warrior took in a silent gasp the moment she heard the hero begin to sing, listening closely to him as she realized that, even though his voice was small and hoarse from the smoke, it still sounded quite pleasant. He sung softly and gently, his eyes shut and his cheeks showing the slightest hint of an embarrassed blush since he rarely ever sang to other people before. But all the same, Sheik focused on his smooth, easy to listen to, tenor voice, listening to the words of the solemn, almost mournful tune he was singing.

"L-leaves from the vine…" Link began, his voice shaking a bit out of both fear and exhaustion as he sang the old Hylian war ballad that his uncle had often sung to him as a child. "Falling s-so slow… Like fragile t-tiny shells… D-drifting in the f-foam…" Before the hero could go on, he broke down into a small bout of coughs, the smoke from the very close fire burning is throat as he breathed it in without much of a choice.

"L-Link…" Sheik muttered softly as she held up a shaking hand, telling him to stop singing so that he wouldn't have to breathe in the toxins for her sake. And yet, Link merely smiled down at her and shook his head, singing once more as soon as he stopped coughing.

"L-little soldier boy…" the hero continued, his voice even softer as he slowly laid the Sheikah warrior on the ground before coming to lie down beside her, knowing that he was about to black out as well. But nonetheless, he kept singing, as it was the only thing he could do now that they were both facing certain death. "Come m-marching home…" He shut his eyes once more so he wouldn't have to watch the flames overcome them both, regretting what he had done to start this fire now more than ever. "Brave s-soldier boy…" With another small sigh, Link reached out and took Sheik's nearby hand in his own, giving it a small, comforting squeeze so that she would not feel alone as he own eyes shut and her sensed began to drift off to the point that she barely even heard the final lyrics of the hero's song, but she clung onto them nonetheless. "C-comes marching h-home…"

* * *

><p>As both Lana and Impa had expected, the route to the Fairy Fountain was littered with monsters, most likely placed there by Wizzro to impede their way. Using her tome, the young sorceress cut her way through the hordes with a variety of spells, including barriers and blasts of lightning. Meanwhile, the Sheikah guardian made use of her naginata and its fiery blade, burning through any bulbin in her way. As the two women hurried to the eastern fountain, they occasionally glanced back towards the plumes of smoke rising up from the Deku Tree, wondering when and if Link and Sheik were going to emerge from it. With each passing moment, Lana began to worry more and more for their wellbeing, fearing the worst for them as they failed to catch up with them.<p>

"We have to hurry!" the sorceress called out to the Sheikah guardian fretfully as she used her magic to take down a gibdo that was guarding the stairway that led to the fountain. "I think they might be trapped in there!"

"If they are, then there's a good chance that they're already dead," Impa said with blunt honesty, under far too much stress to show much concern for the hero, whom she did admittedly worry for, and the Sheikah warrior, whom she really did not care whether she lived or died. "But all the same, we can't let the Deku Tree burn to the ground. Let's get in there."

Lana frowned nervously, taking one last anxious glance towards the smoldering tree before she followed the Sheikah guardian into the peace of the empty Fairy Fountain. "Oh, noble Great Fairy!" the sorceress called out respectfully as her and Impa approached the magic circle. "We need your strength to quell the burning Deku Tree! Please, don't leave us to this fire!"

With her telltale laugh, the Great Fairy rose up out of the waters of the fountain with a quick spin, floating in midair as she smiled down at the sorceress and the Sheikah leader. "Well, of course, young white sorceress!" she said cheerfully. "After all, I wouldn't dream of letting that precious tree burn to the ground on my watch! I'll send my little ones out to take care of it immediately!"

"Thank you, Great Fairy…" Lana said with a sigh of relief, watching as the Great Fairy held out her hands, a stream of small pink fairies flew forth from them and pouring out of the fountain in a large group.

Curious to see what they would do, Lana and Impa ran out after them, watching with wide eyes as the tiny creatures flew up high into the sky above the canopy of trees above them. Once the fairies were high enough in the air, they scattered and flew into the white clouds in the atmosphere, joining with them and commanding the condensed water within them to follow their movements. The various groups of fairies began to carry their cloud clusters with them to a point high above the burning Deku Tree, joining them together until there was enough of them to form a thick, gray raincloud. Thunder rumbled in the heavens above before the downpour finally began, thick sheets of rain pouring from the magical clouds and dousing the blazing tree within seconds. A soft aura of gold surrounded the tree as the rain put out the fire, magically healing the damage done to it and clearing the toxic some out entirely.

Upon seeing that their base was no longer on fire, the Hylian troops all let out a triumphant cheer, their morale raising as they leaped back into the battle in full force. "Phew! That was a close one!" Lana exclaimed with a bright smile, glancing back towards the Fairy Fountain to show her gratitude to the Great Fairy once more. "We thank you, Great Fairy!"

The Great Fairy let out a warm laugh in response as she vanished back into the fountain once more, leaving Lana and Impa to head back to the Deku Tree once more. "Come on!" the sorceress said to the Sheikah guardian with renewed energy in her tone, even though there was a slight hint of worry in it as well. "We have to go see if Link and Sheik are ok!"

Impa only nodded in response as the two of them rushed for the healed Deku Tree. They were the first to arrive there amidst the rest of the soldiers who were returning to their now-safe base. However, as the Sheikah guardian and the sorceress crossed through the tree's now-clear threshold, they both stopped in their tracks when they saw the two unconscious figures lying together in the center of the keep.

Link and Sheik had only blacked out mere moments before the fire was put out, but even so, it was clear that they had suffered from the inferno quite a bit. They were both covered in a great deal of ash and their clothes were torn and singed, revealing that they had both been burned in several places. But what caught the young sorceress's eye the most was just how close the hero and the Sheikah warrior were lying to each other, their hands tightly intertwined and their faces inches apart. Something about seeing the two of them in such a way made Lana frown as she came to a realization about the Sheikah warrior and her connection to the hero, the young sorceress forced herself to glance away from them for a moment before she rushed over to them with the hopes of healing them both from their injuries.

Though she wanted to help them both equally, Lana could tell that Sheik was much worse off than Link, and so it was the Sheikah warrior who she started with. Summoning up some of her warm blue healing magic, the sorceress placed a gentle hand on Sheik's covered throat, opening up her damaged airways once more so she could breathe before taking care of the particularly bad burns on her leg and shoulder. After making sure that the Sheikah warrior had passed through the worst of it and entered into a much-needed rest, Lana moved onto the hero, taking him into her arms once more and removing the scarf that was still covering his face before taking a moment to simply stare at him while she healed his throat. Her heart wavered slightly at the sight of him as she tried to suppress the hidden admiration she had for him, admiration that she had harbored before she had even ever encountered him face-to-face. And yet, after seeing him so close to the Sheikah warrior, the sorceress knew that she couldn't breathe a word about it to him, not that she had ever intended to anyway after what had started because of such feelings.

Once the immediate healing process was finished, Lana let out a small sigh as she gave herself a moment to recharge her magical energy, watching with relief as both Link and Sheik began to stir. With a small cough to clear his throat, the hero opened his eyes and slowly eased himself up into a sitting position as he took in a much-needed breath of fresh air, the Sheikah warrior following after not that much later.

"Thanks, Lana," Link said to the sorceress with a grateful smile, already knowing that she had been the one to heal them both. Lana returned his grin as she helped him rise to his feet before aiding Sheik in standing as well. Indeed, both the hero and the Sheikah warrior felt much better, even though they hadn't gotten all of their energy back yet and they were still having some difficulty breathing. However, the hero's smile quickly faded upon seeing the cold look that Impa was giving him from across the keep, no doubt because of how he had blatantly disregarded her command earlier.

"Impa…" he began with a sigh as he walked over to her, but before he could go on, the Sheikah guardian simply put up a hand to stop him.

"You don't need to say anything in your defense," she said with firm seriousness in her tone, even though the smallest hint of a smile was playing on her lips. "Just promise me that you'll never do something so reckless and out of order again, alright?"

Link grinned once more upon hearing this, glad that the stoic general of the army was forgiving enough to overlook his often defiant manner, something that he was determined to fix in the future. "I'll do my best," he said with resolve, knowing that he could not let her down a third time.

Impa finally smiled fully upon hearing this, nodding in satisfaction that he would. "Very good," she said, before she turned to lead the way out of the Deku Tree. "Now, I think we have a wizard to deal with and a forest to save, don't we?"

Link, Sheik and Lana all nodded in agreement as they left the inside of the tree, only to find that monsters were rushing towards it from all over the forest as Wizzro's voice shouted out angrily throughout the trees. "Gah! Who let them talk to the Great Fairy!?" he demanded crossly, infuriated that the fire had been put out and that no one had lost their lives in the process. "That plan was PERFECT!"

"I think that Wizzro's base is to the northwest," Lana told the rest of the group as they began to cut through the bulbins coming their way.

"I have a feeling that wizard knows more than he's letting on…" Sheik mused, referring to the enemy that Hyrule was facing as a whole, but upon hearing this, Impa interpreted it the wrong way.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with you," the Sheikah guardian said with a scowl as she burned through a line of monsters. "He said he didn't know where the princess is back in the caves, but I think it was all a front. Well, if he knows where Zelda is, then I'll just have to beat the information out of him!"

Link glanced over at Impa upon hearing this proclamation, frowning at her worriedly as he noticed just how fiercely and brutally she was carving through the monsters. "Impa? Are you ok?" he asked with concern. "You seem kinda stressed out…"

"Well, of course I'm stressed out!" the Sheikah guardian snapped in aggravation. "We've come all this way and Princess Zelda is still nowhere to be found! And not only that, but we keep running into that grievance of a wizard everywhere we go!"

"We'll take care of him and find Zelda," the hero reassured her, knowing that she needed to take the advice she had given him earlier about keeping a level head. "You told me that I shouldn't push myself so hard; maybe you should do the same."

Impa only glared at him for a moment, knowing that Link, of all people, was in no position to tell her to pace herself after all of the mistakes he had made thus far. However, though she was tempted to tell him that, she merely turned away from him and continued fighting, knowing that endurance was what pulled the strongest through in times such as these. "I won't rest until Princess Zelda is safe…" she muttered harshly as she plunged the tip of her naginata into yet another monster.

The rest of the group exchanged a brief, worried glance for the general, but they knew that there was no arguing with her when she was like this, and so they merely continued to push on, breaking through the hordes and running towards the northwest, which was indeed the source of the monsters flooding the woods. However, as the group of four burst into the enemy base at long last, they only spotted Wizzro for a second as he turned towards them and gave them a sinister grin before vanishing out of sight and out of reach entirely.

"No!" Impa shouted in fury at their elusive foe. "He got away! He's too fast!"

"Not again!" Lana said with a sigh of dismay. "We were so close, too!"

As the group searched the surrounding area for any signs of the enemy, they were unaware of his presence looming high above their heads. Wizzro chuckled to himself as he watched them scatter, a plan formulating in his mind that caused him to grin even deeper. "Oh, what if I had IT kill them?" he said to himself, clasping his bony hands together in twisted delight. "That's so naughty! I love it!" With another cackling laugh, the wizard retreated from the battlefield entirely, but not before summoning another beast to take care of his foes once and for all.

As the group of four were searching over the enemy keep, they all barely managed to catch sight of the growing shadow above their heads. And, once they all glanced up and saw the huge shape that was about to drop down upon them, they all cleared out of the keep immediately as the monster crashed down to the ground.

This monster, much like King Dodongo, was huge, towering over all of the Hylian troops as they stood outside the keep, preparing to fight it off. It was a spider-like creature with six, claw-like legs, three on each side, and a large, single red eye, though it had a retractable solid shield to protect it, giving everyone the idea that its eye was most likely its weak point amidst its otherwise sturdy body. It let out a wild screech as it began to make its way towards the Hylian forces, slashing away at their numbers with its hard, barbed legs.

"That's no regular enemy!" Impa called out to the nearby soldiers as she poised her naginata to attack. "Everyone, be on your guard!"

As the Sheikah guardian said this, the monster somehow let out a thin beam of electric light from its eye, cutting through the soldiers and taking several within its immediate range down. "That monster is called Ghoma!" Lana exclaimed, putting her vast knowledge of monsters to use. "It's very powerful… But that doesn't matter! We have to kill it somehow!"

"Right!" Link said in agreement as he drew his sword while Sheik stood at his side, poising her harp to attack. However, upon seeing this, the sorceress frowned at both of them, knowing that they needed their rest after the ordeal they had just been through.

"Actually, I think you two should fall back…" Lana said, biting her lip sheepishly.

"What?" the hero asked, glancing over at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"My healing magic can only do so much," the sorceress explained. "You're both still recovering and neither of you are up to your full strength yet. We can handle Ghoma. You need to retreat back to the Deku Tree for now and rest up."

"But I want to fight!" Link exclaimed rather stubbornly, believing that he felt well enough to keep going, but Sheik was quick to stop him before he could rush blindly towards the monster by grabbing him by the arm.

"Lana is right, Link," the Sheikah warrior said wisely. "We have been through much. The last thing we need is to fall yet again today. There will be other battles to fight in, and this one is not ours."

The hero hesitate for a moment as he looked towards the raging Ghoma once more, wishing that he was strong enough to join the battle against it, but knowing that Sheik and Lana were both right. As much as he was willing to fight, he knew that he needed to recuperate and heal before rushing back into battle once more. And so, with a compliant sigh, he simply nodded and went along with the Sheikah warrior towards the refuge of the Deku Tree, leaving the sorceress and the Sheikah guardian to fend off Ghoma with their troops.

"Its eye is its weak spot!" Lana called out to everyone nearby so that they would know where to focus their attacks.

"But how can we attack it if it just keeps covering it up?" Impa asked as she attempted to run its eye through with her naginata, but it stopped her just in time by covering it with its thick shield.

The sorceress bit her lip in thought as she watched the troops continue to attempt to strike the eye directly, only to have all of their attacks repelled easily. She knew that they were doing very little damage at all as it continued to attack them by slashing at them and firing their beams at them. However, as she watched them bust their spears against the shield, a sudden idea came to her as she realized that all of their attacks were too slow and limited in range. With a small smile, Lana took out the bow that was still strapped to her back from earlier and aimed an arrow for Ghoma's exposed eye, quickly letting it lose before it could cover it with the shield once more. Much to her fortune, it was a direct hit, causing the monster to recoil and fall to the ground stunned as the troops began to strike its eye mercilessly. Impa stabbed at it with her flaming naginata as Lana attacked it with several bursts of electricity, however, Ghoma was strong and resilient, and though they attacks did quite a bit of damage, it managed to regain its bearings once more a few moments later. After this bout of attacks, the monster was more enraged than ever as it let out another screech and, before any more damage could be done to it, it leapt high up into the trees, before crashing down to the ground in another part of the forest, one that both Lana and Impa immediately recognized.

"Oh, gosh!" the sorceress exclaimed worriedly. "That monster's in the Deku Tree!"

"We can't let that tree fall again," Impa said with resolve, already running towards the allied base. "Everyone, hurry! We need to defend it as soon as possible!"

Without another moment's hesitation, the entirety of the Hylian troops began to head for the Deku Tree, clearing a path through the bulbins blocking the way. However, upon arriving there, Lana and Impa were surprised to see that Link and Sheik were battling Ghoma all on their own, even though they had been instructed to rest. And yet, neither the sorceress nor the Sheikah guardians scolded the two of them for it; after all, the Deku Tree had to be protected at all costs.

"Every monster has a weakness!" Sheik called out to Link as they tried to land a hit upon the arachnid to no avail, neither of them having noticed that the rest of their allies had arrived to aid them. "We just have to find this one's!"

"Allow me," Lana interjected with a sly grin as she headed towards them, drawing her bow and striking Ghoma in its eye once more before it could fire a beam at the hero and the Sheikah warrior. As the monster collapsed to the ground once more, the entirety of the Hylian army converged upon it, every single soldier attacking its eye with as much force as they could muster. And, in the end, that was thankfully enough this time. With another wild cry, Ghoma's bleeding eye shut for the last time as it fell to the ground before disappearing into a puff of smoke, just as King Dodongo had in Hyrule Field.

With Ghoma's defeat, the rest of the bulbin and gibdo forces instantly vanished from the woods as well, allowing the Hylian troops to take a much needed rest in the aftermath of their hard-earned victory. Indeed, this battle had been arduous and dangerous, but they had survived nonetheless; they would live to fight another day.

"Amazing!" Proxi chimed cheerfully as she flew around Link in celebration. "We took down that huge… THING!"

"At least the forest is finally safe…" the hero said with a sigh of relief, glad that the troops could finally be at ease after such a difficult fight.

"Great job, everyone!" Lana congratulated her troops with a large bubbly grin. "That's a solid win for us! The residents of these woods won't have to worry about monsters anymore thanks to us!"

And yet, even despite the success that the army had just claimed, not everyone was satisfied. Impa stood within one of the thresholds of the Deku Tree, gazing out over the now-peaceful forest with disappointment, something that did not go unnoticed by Link as he headed over to her remembering how stressed she had been acting earlier.

"What's the matter?" he asked her as he came to stand next to her, seeing the worry in her expression.

The Sheikah guardian let out a sigh, deciding to be honest with him this time. "I had hoped so much that Princess Zelda would be here…" she said with a bitter frown, glancing down at her feet as she wondered if the princess was safe wherever she might be. "Apparently that hope was all in vain…"

As Lana was working on healing up a few of her injured soldiers, she happened to overhear this, as did Sheik, who merely stepped back into the shadows aloofly. The sorceress, however, turned to face the hero and the Sheikah guardian, rising to her feet as she kept her eyes on Link intently.

"Like I said," Link said with a small smile, even though he joined Impa in having his hopes of finding Zelda shattered. "We'll find her, wherever she is."

The Sheikah guardian merely shook her head, hating the uncertainty that had gathered around the situation as a whole. "All the same, I still can't help but wonder…" she began, her voice uncharacteristically soft and concerned, showing just how much she cared for the princess's wellbeing. "Where could she be? Is she safe? Is she hurt? May the goddesses protect her…"

The hero said nothing more as he simply glanced down, his mind filling with the same worries for the missing princess, who had saved his life and had shown him such kindness that he simply could not forget it. If she was hurt, then he would make sure that whatever force had dared to touch her would pay dearly, and even if she was safe, then he would do everything it took to bring her back home.

Lana could practically see both Link's devotion and determination in his morose expression and she couldn't help but let out a sad sigh, grief and guilt filling her all at once. Her grief came from the fact that her feelings for him would never be returned because of the mandates of destiny, and her guilt came from even having those feelings in the first place, for it had been those feelings that had brought about this disaster in the first place. _But those are Cia's feelings, not yours…_ the sorceress reminded herself in an attempt to make herself feel better. And yet, even despite that thought, Lana knew that there was not much of a difference. After all, it was her own weakness and lack of control that had brought forth their wrath of the instigator of this war. And tried as she might to hide the truth from her new allies, the sorceress knew that she could not keep her biggest secret from them forever.

* * *

><p><em>Deep in the Forbidden Forest… <em>

The Forbidden Forest was located in a completely different region of Hyrule than Faron Woods, its position more to the west of Hyrule Castle than the north. Most had never dared to enter inside of its inky depths out of fear of what may be lurking inside of them, and so very few knew of the grand temple that laid within its depths, the Temple of Souls to be exact.

The Temple of Souls was said to be a mystical place, one that apparently reflected the mental state of its owner. Though once a place of purity and light, darkness and perverse desire now loomed within its halls, a desire that was reflected in every statue and portrait that lined the corridors and rose garden surrounding it.

This desire belonged solely to the mistress of the temple, the very instigator of the great war itself. She was a young woman of rare and incredible beauty, beauty that she didn't hesitate to show off in her revealing outfit, even though she kept the upper half of her face concealed with a mask. A dark smile filled her crimson lips as she glanced into her crystal ball, running her fingers gracefully along its smooth surface as she watched the battle in Faron Woods rage on with great interest, not even bothering to be upset about how Wizzro had failed her twice now. After all, the ring-turned-wizard had already broken her command by trying to kill the hero, something that she had ordered both him and Volga to make sure they did not do. After all, he would be no use to her dead; she would much rather have him alive and all to herself.

"_He will be coming to you next…" _the encroaching head inside of her voice said to her in a subtle whisper, its words only making her grin deepen.

"Yes…" she said smoothly, gazing at the hero longingly as he fought even through exhaustion and pain. "I know… And I can hardly wait…"

"_You know what you must do when he shows up, yes?" _the voice asked with eager, hidden greed.

"Of course…" she said with confidence. "Everything is already in place. The dragon knight and the dark wizard are already waiting in the Valley of Seers for them. I just thought I would watch from here a little while longer… After all, I can hardly take my eyes off of him…"

"_Do not lose sight of your mission, sorceress," _the voice admonished in aggravation. _"The Triforce is first, then you may have your beloved hero."_

"Indeed…" the black sorceress said, moving in close to the crystal ball as the object of her perverse affections filled it entirely, uncontrollable lust running through her heart and soul at the very sight of him. "I shall obtain the Triforce… And then, at long last… The hero shall _finally _be mine…"

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><p><strong>Oooo foreshadowing... I love it! And indeed, next chapter, we'll get a little more of everyone's favorite crazy, Link-obsessed sorceress! Yay! Also, before I forget that song that Link sang to Sheik does NOT belong to me. Rather, it is called "Leaves from the Vine" and it is from one of my favorite shows of all time: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Go look it up on YouTube and give it a listen if you want! Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be out sometime next week, but for now I'd like to say happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers! So, for now, don't forget to REVIEW as always. Until next time! :D<strong>


	8. Eclipse of the Sun

_Ok, so thanks to Thanksgiving break, my whole writing schedule got thrown off, but whatever. Its all good. Here we have part 1 (of 2) of the Valley of Seers stage (sorry, I know i promised Cia in this chapter, and while she is kinda here, there will be much more of her in the next chapter! Plus, I REALLY wanted a chapter entitled Eclipse of the Sun, so I can have another chapter entitled Eclipse of the Moon (my FAVORITE song from HW) later on!) Anyway, firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed/favorited! Now onto the reviews!_

_**Shiro Arceus**: Aw, thanks so much! I'm really glad you're liking everything! And its kinda my intent to make the game's story more fleshed out and better, so I'll keep trying at it! And I am also SUPER glad you noticed the mother-son thing going on between Link and Impa! That was my intent from the get-go! She's like his momboss! I love it! _

_**GuestC**: Thanks! I enjoy fleshing out the rather bare-bones plot of HW into something entertaining for readers, so I'm glad I did my job! Kudos to you for reading it all in one sitting (I know I never would be able to, my attention span is too short, ahhaha!) And as far as Sheik (Zelda)/Link goes, I dunno if she's gonna reveal herself accidentally to everyone, but she may end up tipping at least Link off a little, though he won't know for sure until she finally reveals herself like in the game!_

_**Ezakiel**: Yeah, Lana's gonna pretty much tell everyone everything in the beginning of this chapter, but it won't spoil Cia as a character hopefully, cause I have so much planned for her! And Volga kinda takes center stage in this chapter, so I hope you'll like it! I do plan on having at least one or two chapters focused on Cia, Volga and Wizzro alone, so in them, I do plan exploring them all more. And yes! I can't wait to write Ganondorf, especially cause he is just so epic in this game (and I plan on making him even more awesome and evil than he already is!) As far as the Great Fairy goes, I'd like to think that she can only really do something when she is called upon, which kinda sucks for our heroes, but hey, if she could just go about willy-nilly, it would make things way too easy. And as to why Volga and Wizzro keep trying to kill Link, well, as the DLC implies, they aren't necessarily 100% loyal to Cia. I mean, in her story mode, Wizzro seemed to turn against her like every five seconds! It ticked me off so bad! :P_

_**Sigma73**: Hahaha yeah, I getcha. Don't worry, I'll be as tasteful as possible. And you're right! Whoopsies! I guess I'll have to go back and fix that eventually!_

_**Black Scepter**: Whoo, okay. Lots of reviews to answer, but I don't mind! :D So, I'll try to be concise. I can understand your fear of Link taking a back seat here, but I can promise you that I have NO intention of that happening. After all, Link is my favorite Zelda character, so its only fitting that I give him the proper attention he deserves. Now, this chapter, I must admit, focuses much more on Sheik and Impa than Link, or even Lana, but the next chapter will be much more on them, as well as Cia. And as far as him becoming useless, I'm trying to make it seem as though he's still learning, but in time, he will come to be much more heroic and befitting of the title of hero. I doubt he'll make another slip up like setting the Deku tree on fire any time soon, but he will still make some slip ups (specifically, in the Temple of Souls, but that's part of the game, so...) As far as making Sheik a girl, I'm pretty sure she is, at least in HW, mostly because, as you said, her feminine design. Going back to the Zelink parts of her hugging him, it is because I am trying to write this Zelda with expression, kinda like SS Zelda, only with a bit more regality thrown in because of her position. And yeah, part of the reason why Impa promoted Link was because of his status as the hero; after all, as we've clearly seen, he lacks experience befitting a general, but I think he'll grow into it in time. Finally getting to the first review, I don't intend to character bash (even if I personally don't like Proxi that much, though I think Lana is awesome!), not even to characters like Agitha (who I personally think has no business being in this game, but whatever). Anyway, thanks for all of your super nice words, as well as your constructive criticism! Everything helps me get better after all! :D_

_**Legendoffun**: I love both Korra and Avatar, so I just had to make some sort of reference to them! Glad you caught the hints of foreshadowing... ;D_

_**OkayDokey33**: Glad you kinda explained my approach with Lana and Cia, since that is kinda what I'm going for. After all, I'd like to think that Lana is not 100% good and Cia is not 100% evil, so that sort of thing will certainly come into play here. And yes, Lana's drive is centered around the fact that she was unable to help Cia withstand Ganondorf corrupting her, something that I think, makes Lana and Cia both very tragic, very interesting characters. And yea, you have to feel bad for Impa, and what you said about everyone else who gets close to the heroes is very true as well. Midna specifically came to my mind, espcially since she tried to stand up to Ganondorf, but ultimately, Link was the only one who could defeat him. Its kinda sad, really... :(_

_**Pikori78**: I do plan on incorporating some of Cia's tale, but in some interesting ways... ;D_

_**Dusk Mind**: He sure does! And I plan on foreshadowing it a lot, since its a HUGE part of his character development later on!_

_**Zelink4321**: Oh you better believe there will be some zelink kisses up in here! And cuddling and possibly even some lemon and yes, even hand holding and hugs, as basic as that is. I ship it so hard that I wouldn't be able to justify not including my OTP having some love!_

_**Tolazytologin**: Glad for that! :D I'm also glad you're liking the story! :D_

_**alexhacker39**: Thanks! :D_

_**Pikatwig**: He very much does! And yeah, Lana kinda caught onto Sheik's identity, but then again she did see OoT Zelda do the same thing so... And yeah, actually your idea kinda makes sense. If Cia was smart, she'd go back to the beginning and just make her move then instead of doing it in HW Hyrule (which I think is at the very bottom of the timeline!)_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, it only makes sense that Impa gets frustrated every now and then instead of remaining consistantly level-headed... ;)_

_**mega-dark**: Basically summed it up perfectly! And yeah, the last chapter was kinda all over the place, mostly cause Smash did distract the heck out of me (its soooo good! as was the turkey! :D And yeah, I might be compelled to put Twili Midna in here... ;D_

_**Libby8980**: Hahahah, Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it and I will gladly help myself to that taco, cookies, and "piehs" hehehehe! :D_

_**R-king 93**: Thanks!_

_**Lord Darth Yoda**: Oh yeah ;P Hahahah jk. And yeah, I had some writer's block with that last chapter, but hopefully this will be better!_

_**gandalf42**: Very true. And it would be funny to see Wizzro get knocked off in such an ironic way, but I think I'll mostly stick to the game for that. And indeed, things totally go to the next level now... ;D_

_**ultimateCC**: Yep! Here we are!_

_**Skydragon74193**: Glad your recognized it! And thanks!_

_**mysteryfriend16**: As am i! :D_

_**RandomButLoved**: Hahaha, already responded to this one, but thanks for the review anyway! :D_

_Ok, guys. You know what? Answering all these reviews at once is getting really taxing for me, so how would you guys feel if I just started PMing responses instead? I think that would make things easier for everyone, so that's what I'm gonna start doing (at least for this story) with the next chapter. But for now, let's get started!_

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><p><em>Chapter 7: Eclipse of the Sun<em>

The Hyrulian army was on an advance to the very northeastern corner of Hyrule, where Lanayru Valley, a place that Lana referred to as the Valley of Seers. Fortunately, though the morning had been spent taking care of the disaster in Faron Woods, the troops had finally been able to move on with the entire afternoon ahead of them, and thankfully, they had not worn themselves into exhaustion quite yet, all of them eager to push forward. Of course, Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik were among the most anxious to arrive at their destination, all of them wanting to cut off the flow of monsters at its apparent source.

As the troops steadily marched along to their destination, the white sorceress made good on her promise to divulge more information to her newfound allies about their common foe.

"I think it'd be best to begin with the Triforce…" Lana said with a sigh after Impa prompted her to tell them more about Cia. "You all know at least a little about it, right?"

"The Triforce…" Impa said with a cryptic nod. "Hyrule's holy relic and the source of its providence… There are many legends out there about it. I suppose that it is Cia's ultimate goal then, yes? After all, its power is great and unrivaled throughout the land."

"Well, the Triforce is only _part _of what she wants…" the white sorceress said a bit apprehensively. "There's something else too… But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Like I said before, Cia and I were from the same clan. We were taught the art of magic from a very young age, and… well, we pretty much grew up together…"

"So, you were close to her?" Link asked with a pitied frown upon hearing the clear sadness in Lana's tone.

The white sorceress sighed. "More than you could ever know…" she said as she kept her violet gaze upon the ground while she walked. "For years, everything was just fine. We both grew in power and skill and eventually, both of us received a message from the goddesses themselves… They wanted the two of us to watch over the Triforce and make sure that its power was protected from evil and misuse. Its balance is very fragile, and it was our job to keep it safe from the eyes of those who might seek to take it for themselves.

"The two of us moved to the seclusion of the Forbidden Woods to make sure that we could carry out our task in peace, without any influence from the outside world. However, our time wasn't idle. As payment for taking care of the Triforce, the goddesses granted us the ability to see across the ages. We were able to watch history unfold in every era, but most of the time, it was very boring. Cia often complained about it, only taking any real interest whenever there was a war or some big happening... Until…"

Lana paused as she finally looked up, casting a long glance over in Link's direction as he, like Sheik and Impa, continued to listen to her tale carefully. The white sorceress let out another small sigh, knowing that they all needed to know this information, as much as it brought her shame and guilt. "Until she saw… you, Link…"

The hero gave her a look of absolute confusion as the two Sheikah women also glanced over at him in wondering. Link had no idea what to make of this, so he simply prompted Lana to continue her story so that he could understand it better. "What do you mean?" he asked evenly, though he had no idea what he had to do with any of this.

"As I said, Cia and me were able to see the lives of everyone who ever lived, both now and in the past, but not the future," Lana explained, now averting the hero's confused gaze. "And as we watched time play out, a soul that was unlike any other caught her attention: a soul that has come to be called the Spirit of the Hero, one that is always reborn whenever Hyrule is facing certain doom. The Spirit of the Hero has had many bearers in the past, and Cia watched all of their adventures and battles with immense interest, and so would I. They were all just… so special… The way they would always so selflessly save Hyrule, triumphing over evil no matter what the cost… It was beautiful… And yet… it quickly became clear that Cia was way more enticed with them as I was… Eventually, she started falling in love with them, and with the very idea of the Spirit of the Hero itself. It was only as that love turned into obsession that things went from bad to worse…

"As much as Cia admired the Spirit of the Hero, she knew that she would never be able to be with any of its bearers; it just wasn't fate's design. She was heartbroken and angry, and it was because of that anger that darkness started to fill her heart. She cursed the very goddesses that gave us our responsibility I… I tried everything I could to convince Cia not to listen to the evil that was calling out to her, but… nothing worked… Darkness took over her soul, and her obsession and desire for the Spirit of the Hero only deepened. All the light and purity that used to fill her was gone… and in its place, only resentment and lust remained…"

"I couldn't stand to be near Cia any more after that… The evil inside of her was just too much for me to bear… And so… I left. But, before I did, I made sure that the Triforce would remain protected from her. Before she could lay her hands upon it, I cast a spell on it that split it up into three parts. The Triforce of Power unfortunately remained with her, but the other two were sent out to those who would keep them safe… like you, Link," Lana said with a small grin as she nodded to the Triforce of Courage on the his hand, something that Impa had made sure to give the hero all the details she knew about not long after she had appointed him to second general.

"You still haven't mentioned what any of this has to do with me yet," Link said, still confused about Lana's earlier statement, even though both Sheik and Impa were starting to catch on.

"Ah… well…" the white sorceress bit her lip somewhat awkwardly. "It's a little hard to explain… Like I said, Cia wants the Triforce, but… even more than that she wants the Spirit of the Hero, or more specifically, its bearer, all to herself. It's why she started this war in the first place. She'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants, including take over Hyrule… She caused all of this chaos and violence just so she can get to bearer of the Spirit of the Hero, which, in this era, just so happens to be…" Lana paused as she held her gaze on the hero, her expression telling him everything, but she said it aloud nonetheless. "You…"

Link was admittedly stunned speechless upon hearing this, mostly because he wasn't really sure what to think of everything that Lana had just implied. Before they had set out on their search for Zelda, Impa had mentioned something to the hero about him having a special sort of spirit, most likely the fabled Spirit of the Hero that the white sorceress had explained, but that wasn't what surprised him the most. What bothered him was the fact that he had somehow aroused the affections of a woman he had never even met before, and in turn, those affections had somehow incited the war that Hyrule was currently facing. He couldn't help but feel that the entire catastrophe was partially his fault, even if he had done nothing at all. For so long, everyone had been wondering what this war was being waged over, and now Lana had made it clear; indeed, it was a battle for both the Triforce and control over Hyrule, but even more than that, it was being waged over one person alone: the very hero helping to save it.

After a prolonged moment of silence from both the surprised, slightly sickened hero and the remorseful white sorceress, the Sheikah warrior, who had been silent throughout most of the journey, spoke up. "So, what exactly is her strategy then, if you know anything of it?" Sheik asked, though there was a hint of some type of unreadable emotion in her tone in the aftermath of what Lana had just revealed.

Glad to move away from the most awkward part of the tale, the white sorceress answered this much more promptly. "I'm not entirely sure…" she said with a frown. "All I know is that, as I was leaving Cia, in a fit of rage, she used her magic to tear open the Gate of Souls, the magical doorway that connects all eras of the past. That's where all the monsters flooding Hyrule came from: all the different periods of Hyrule's past. She's using her magic to control them and she's the one who commands them to do her bidding, with Volga and Wizzro working under her, I guess. Ever since this all started, more monsters have been appearing every day, causing so much chaos and ruin… I've been trying to fight against them ever since they appeared, hoping that I can stop Cia, but I know I can't do it on my own. Even the small resistance force I came across near Faron hasn't been enough to leave a major dent in their armies. There's just so many of them…"

"We'll stop them," Link said, finally breaking his stunned silence of the past several minutes. His tone immediately caught Lana, Impa and Sheik's attention in how firm and resolved it was, no doubt burning with the desire to put an end to something that was apparently centered around him. The Sheikah leader couldn't help but subtly grin at how, for the first time, he no longer spoke with the uncertainty of a recruit, but the authority of a general as he continued. "We'll keep fighting against them like we've been doing and we'll close the Gate of Souls so no more will come. We'll put an end to this war, and most of all, we'll find Princess Zelda."

"Well said, Link," Impa said with a nod of proud satisfaction. Sheik remained quiet, keeping in her mysterious nature of only sparing words when she needed to, but it was clear from the look that her crimson eyes were giving him that she was thoroughly impressed as well. However, unlike them, Lana was able to see the hidden intention and motivation behind the hero's words, as well as the hint of shame and guilt that had filled them.

"Link…" the white sorceress said with a frown after Impa and Sheik had moved on past them towards the entrance of the Valley of Seers looming nearby. "You… you know what none of this is your fault… right?"

The hero's steady, determined expression finally faded into an apprehensive one, though he did not backpedal on what he had said. "I feel like it is…" he admitted guiltily. "You said it yourself: the only reason Cia's doing any of this is because she wants me. Maybe it would just be easier if… if I just surrendered myself over to her. Then, no one else would have to get hurt and the war would finally end."

"Oh, Link…" Lana said, feeling even more remorse than ever upon hearing this incredibly selfless suggestion, one that she could not allow him to do. "You know you can't do that. Hyrule needs you. And besides, it's still far too early to give up now! The only reason why I became a little discouraged earlier was because I had been fighting against Cia's forces on my own. But now that we're all going to fight her together; we can do this. _You_ can do this, Link. I know it. After all, you've done it before…" she said with a reassuring smile, referring to the untold courage of all of his past lives that she had observed.

The hero smiled in gratitude to the white sorceress, feeling comforted by her words. After all, there wasn't really any way that he could have known about Cia, or her obsessive feelings for him. And yet, at the same time, he still felt somewhat guilty, especially when he thought about how this war had caused Zelda's disturbing, prolonged disappearance. Link knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Hyrule's wise, benevolent ruler, especially after the care and kindness she had shown him. And yet, as the hero thought of the princess, he was invigorated with inspiration and determination once more, his resolve to fight for her safe return, and for Hyrule was a whole, rekindled, renewed and burning brighter than ever.

* * *

><p>The Valley of Seers was a place that, like any place that evil and darkness touched, an area that had once been full of life and light. The grass had once grown green, the lush trees stood tall, and the skies blue and clear. But now, it was a mere shadow of its former self. The grass had all but vanished into barren, dusty earth, the trees had shriveled and their foliage had vanished into unnatural yellow orbs of light that still clung to their curled branches, and the skies were now painted in permanent clouds of darkness. The entire region had clearly suffered from widespread earthquakes, as deep chasms had formed throughout it, leaving the remaining pieces of earth to be isolated and cut apart like pieces of a puzzle. The ruins of once strong and sturdy stone structures, most likely temples and other sacred places, now lay in crumbled ruins all over the area. And, what all of the Hylian troops noticed as they entered into the desolate valley, was not just the overwhelming presence of bokoblins and other monsters on guard, but the strange violet aura that light up the summit of the northern crest, the location that the leaders of the army already knew their foe had to be.<p>

With a mere commanding nod from the Sheikah guardian, the Hylian forces sprang into action, rushing headlong into the hordes of enemies and cutting them down as they did in both Faron and Eldin. However, before Link, Lana, Sheik or Impa could take a single step forward into the fray, a female's voice suddenly echoed out across the valley, its tone smooth, sultry, and greedy all at once.

"Oh, so the hero has finally come to see me at long last, has he?" the voice of the black witch called out, specifically to Link as he glanced around warily like the rest of his allies, just in case she was somewhere nearby. "Well then, my _darling _Link…. Please don't keep me waiting…"

Cia let out an icy laugh, but said nothing more. However, before the seductive words of the black sorceress could really get to the hero, who was still disturbed by the situation at large, Lana quickly intervened. "Cia's at the top of the ruins," the white sorceress said, holding her tome of sorceress close in preparation to fight. "If we can strike her down, then we can stop her from summoning any more monster and close the Gate of Souls!"

"Easier said then done…" Sheik mused as they all looked ahead to the vast hordes of monsters covering the valley laying before them. Indeed, there were many of them, but it was nothing that they had not faced before. "Perhaps we should split up so that we can spread our efforts further. If we manage to capture the ruin keeps, it may provide a foothold against the enemy."

"Great idea, Sheik," Lana said with an agreeing nod. "We might have more success if we split up into two groups. Link, you and me will head for the west keep, okay?"

"Got it," the hero said as he drew his sword, opting to use it much more than the fire rod after what had happened in the woods.

"In that case, Impa and I shall attack from the east," the Sheikah warrior said, not reacting to the caustic look the Sheikah guardian was giving her upon this suggestion, though she said nothing a the moment since Link and Lana were nearby. "Let's go."

With a final nod of parting, the group split off, the hero and the white sorceress forging a path through the monsters towards the west ruins keep, leaving the two Sheikah women alone. However, as Sheik began to advance towards the east keep, she quickly found that Impa was not going with her. She stopped in her tracks as she turned to face the Sheikah guardian, who merely stood in place with her arms crossed, giving the Sheikah warrior a sided glance. Even after the battle in Faron Woods, Impa still had her share of misgivings about Sheik. After all, no one knew anything about her at all, and every time anyone asked her to divulge more information about herself, she would merely answer with vague words and riddle-like phrases. The Sheikah guardian had never liked people who passed themselves off as mysterious and indirect, but even more than that, Impa truly believed that Sheik was hiding something from all of them. Of course, the Sheikah warrior had fought alongside them and spoke as if she was on their side, but what if she was only acting in such a way to gain their trust, when in actuality she could turn out to be a spy or assassin for their enemy? From the moment Impa first saw Sheik, she doubted that she was actually a true member of the Sheikah tribe, whose numbers were now small and widely spread out throughout the world. Certainly, it would be an appropriate disguise for a traitor; after all, the duty of the Sheikah tribe was to serve the royal family, and so it would be enough to convince Link and the other soldiers of her authenticity, but Impa wasn't so easily persuaded. The Sheikah guardian wasn't about to take any chances of being subject to a betrayal, especially in a place such as this, right at the enemy's front door.

"Aren't you coming?" Sheik asked with confusion as Impa still did not move, but instead, only glared even more harshly at the Sheikah warrior.

"Actually, no," Impa said as cordially as possible so that Sheik wouldn't figure out that she was onto her if her suspicions were correct. "I have my own attack plans."

"What?" the Sheikah warrior asked, looking taken aback, which she admittedly was. "But… we'll cover more ground if we work together."

The Sheikah guardian simply remained resolute as she shook her head. "Sorry," she said with an unconcerned shrug. "But not this time."

Sheik simply looked at Impa with absolute shock, and perhaps the slightest bit of hurt in her scarlet eyes, but the Sheikah guardian was unmoved by it. Instead, she simply took off on a different route without sparring any more words to her supposed foe, leaving the Sheikah warrior at a complete and utter loss about what had just happened.

Having taken a more winding path towards the west ruins keep, Impa glanced over her shoulder every now and then between taking down monsters, just to make sure that Sheik was not following her. She stood by her decision to leave the Sheikah warrior on her own; not only did she not trust Sheik, but Impa believed that taking a simple keep was something that she could easily do on her own. However, she could have never known what was waiting for inside of the keep: the dragon knight himself.

Upon emerging into the west keep, Impa growled in indignation and fury at the foe she had last encountered in Hyrule Field weeks ago, especially upon seeing that he was using his fiery breath to strike down several of her soldiers all at once. "Worthless…" Volga scoffed to himself as he struck down more Hylian knights with his spear, having not noticed the Sheikah guardian's presence yet. "These vermin barely qualify as exercise!"

"Hey!" Impa called out to him with her giant blade already brandished and ready to strike. "If you want a real fight, why don't you leave them alone and face me instead!"

The dragon knight turned to face her with a dark grin, finally allowing the injured Hylian soldiers who were still capable of standing to flee to safety. "Oh, look," he said, his tone haughty and prideful. "The Sheikah wretch from the field… I'd think that you'd be smarter than to challenge me so boldly, but if it's a battle you want, then it is a battle you shall get!"

Neither Impa nor Volga said anything else as the duel between them commenced, both of them striking out at once. The Sheikah guardian's blade was met with the dragon knight's pike as they clashed weapons several times, before both of them decided to go for different strategies instead. As Volga let loose a fireball, Impa was quick to extinguish it with some of her water magic, deftly dodging out of the way of a slash of his clawed hand. The Sheikah guardian attempted to gain the offensive by trying to cut her blade through the dragon knight's side, but he countered by blocking it with one of his hands, while using the tip of his spear to finally land a hit on his foe. Impa let out a sharp grunt of pain as the spear cut up her left arm, but she did not relent even despite that the long cut was pouring with blood. She attempted to hit Volga with some water arrows next, but now that he had gained the upper hand, he merely moved out of their path before they struck him. The dragon knight gave the Sheikah guardian a sinister, triumphant grin as he backed away a bit, a new plan formulating in his mind. Volga made a high leap into the air and, much to Impa's surprise, he almost instantly transformed into his dragon form, hovering above the keep as he kept his sights still set on her. Her heart pounding with adrenaline, the Sheikah guardian barely managed to dodge several of the fireballs he sent her way, some of them actually managing to catch onto her, but not causing any severe damage. However, even she could have done nothing as the dragon began to dive-bomb towards the center of the keep at an alarming speed. Impa leaped out of the way as much as she could, but the resounding explosion was enough to send her pummeling into the hard stone wall of the keep, knocking the wind out of her and sending her into semi-consciousness as her head bounced off the wall.

Returned to his more human form, Volga didn't hesitate to lash out at his downed foe, landing a deep, heavy cut across her stomach with his spear. Impa was unable to contain her cry of pain as she desperately tried to rise and lift her blade against him, even though she was far too weak and injured to. "Hm, you're no fun," the dragon knight said mockingly as he prepared to come in for another attack, knowing that the Sheikah guardian would be unable to defend herself properly. "You're not much better than any of your other weak soldiers. Don't you have a stronger warrior for me to duel?"

Impa, who was unable to rise past her hands and knees, glared daggers of fury up at her enemy for reducing her to this. She knew that, since both Link and Lana were preoccupied with taking the western weep, they would be unable to come to her aid, meaning that she was all alone in this fight, but even so, she refused to give up or show any signs of weakness other than physical, which she couldn't really help. "Go to the Dark World, you bastard!" she hissed hatefully, spitting some of the blood that had filled her mouth his way.

Volga wiped the blood off his armor with disgust, glaring down at her just as burningly as she was scowling up at him. "Why don't you go first?" he asked quietly, his voice dripping with venom as he raised his spear to strike her down once and for all. Impa kept up her unyielding dignity though as she simply held her sharp crimson gaze at him, wishing that she could rise to strike him down with all her pent up rage and fury.

However, before the dragon knight could land his hit, he suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain as several small knives hit the back of his arm. Quickly turning around, he was met with a burst of electricity, a simple, quick-paced harp tune entitled the Song of Storms accompanying it.

Sheik moved so quickly that Volga barely even saw her as she continued to pluck of several devastating melodies in fast succession. As the dragon knight tried to hit his elusive new foe with a burst of flame, she countered with a large splay of liquid from the Serenade of Water. When he attempted to strike her down with his spear, she blocked its path using a small, temporary group of trees by playing the Minuet of Forest. With each new attack, the Sheikah warrior could tell that she was wearing him down, but the injured Sheikah guardian simply watched the duel in amazement, unable to believe that Sheik, of all people, had come to her rescue.

"Insolent whelp!" Volga growled to the Sheikah warrior as he managed to block off a few of her kunais. "Stand still already!"

Sheik merely grinned under her face coverings as she shook her head, throwing down an unknown projectile at her feet, vanishing into thin air upon the burst of smoke it had created. No more than a second later, she reappeared, only this time, she was positioned several feet in the air above her enemy. The Sheikah warrior dropped down gracefully, ripping the kunais in her hands deep into the dragon knight savagely and eliciting a heavy shout of pain from him.

Clearly damaged quite a bit by this brutal attack, Volga collapsed to his knees, leaning up against his spear to keep him upright as he scowled up at his triumphant foe. "I was careless…" he admitted, clearly seething with rage. "But next time, it won't end like this!" With another furious shout, the dragon knight's wings appeared and he flew off, thankfully retreating from the keep as the Hylian troops took it at last. However, as he was leaving, Volga cringed at the sound of Cia's disappointed words echoing throughout the valley, clearly aimed at him.

"Why don't you cool down?" she asked bitingly, her words cold enough to the point that the dragon knight could practically see the glare on her face. "It's embarrassing to hear you talk so big and preform so poorly."

Volga, though shamed by this statement, didn't reply to his mistress's admonitions as he simply left, going back to their main base of operations in the Temple of Souls as Cia had instructed him. With an aggravated scoff, the black witch addressed the invading Hylian troops as a whole, her unseen voice dripping with clear bloodlust. "I suppose I will just have to deal with you all myself then…" she said with a sinister chuckle. "So, come on then, all of you! I don't like people dawdling at my doorstep! You want a welcome party? Fine!"

With another cruel laugh, Cia's voice went silent once more, though it was clear to everyone that she had the intention of sending more monsters out their way. But for the moment, Sheik merely ignored that fact as she rushed to Impa, kneeling down beside her and checking over her wounds.

"Are you alright?" the Sheikah warrior asked with concern for the suffering Sheikah guardian, who was still looking at her with disbelief.

"Why… why did you follow me, even when I told you I didn't want your help?" Impa asked evenly, not showing how confused she really was.

"Because you were in need of aid," Sheik said simply as she began to pluck a melody known as the Song of Healing upon her harp, one that somehow helped to ease the pain and bleeding of the Sheikah guardian's injuries.

"That doesn't really answer the question," Impa said with a frown as she denied Sheik's help in standing. "Why do you always refuse to explain anything beyond the simplest of levels?"

"I only said what you wanted to know," the Sheikah warrior said, though her tone was not defensive. "But if you'd like to know why I came to help you, even after you rejected my assistance earlier, that is because I do not believe in abandoning anyone in the battlefield, certainly not the general of the army herself."

Impa said nothing in response to this as her glare slightly softened. Though she still didn't trust Sheik entirely, perhaps, she was starting to realize, she had been wrong about the Sheikah warrior. Maybe she was not a spy or undercover worker for Cia; maybe she truly did want to help the Hylian forces win this war. But even despite this, the Sheikah guardian wasn't willing to give her complete trust to Sheik just yet, even though she had very well saved her life. In fact, the only person that Impa really trusted completely was Princess Zelda alone, not any of her soldiers, or even Link or Lana. And while she still didn't believe that Sheik was truly a member of the Sheikah tribe, Impa decided to at the very least cooperate with the Sheikah warrior for now, knowing that they would all live longer if she did.

"The east keep has been taken," Sheik said with a nod as she glanced around the keep, now full of allied troops. "Link and Lana should have the west covered. We should rendezvous with them as soon as possible." Turning to leave, the Sheikah warrior glanced back at the Sheikah guardian, who was still mulling over her origins and intentions, and beckoned for her to follow her deeper into the battlefield and ever closer to the enemy. "Let's head out!"

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><p><strong>Well, sorry if this is a bit short, but I wanted to get this stuff outta the way for the big drama in the next chapter. As this was mostly centered on Sheik and Impa, the next chapter will be more about Link, Lana, and of course, Cia! Yay! I can't wait! So, for now, don't forget to drop me a REVIEW and in them, I would very much appreciate it if ya'll gave me your input on something: What characters from the other Zelda games (SS, OoT, and TP) would you like to see appear when the different eras enter into the story, aside from the ones that are already playable characters? Give me your imput, and I'll see what I can do. Just thought a little audience input like that would be cool! Until next time!<strong>


	9. Sorceress of the Valley

_Ok, so this chapter actually kinda wrote itself, thank goodness. Plus, its packed full of everyone's favorite nut, Cia! Yay! She seriously made this chapter so much fun for me to write, for reasons you'll see in a bit. Now, mind you, this chapter is LONG, but that's cause there's so much I had to pack into it. Now, since I answered most of the reviews through PMs (which is my new practice for this story at least), but I will still reply to guest reviews here, so fear not!_

_**Onox2**: That would be funny, and totally awesome on Zelda's part! Actually, I do have something kinda similar to that planned for the Temple of Souls so... we'll have to wait and see... ;D_

_**SkywardOcarina**: You mean the sages? Yeah, I'm considering it, definitely for Saria and Nabooru. And hey, who's to say that OoT Impa might not pop up as well? And yeah, I was worrying about Saria having to leave the forest, but you are right about the whole end credits thing, which always had me confused, but whatever. If I do put Saria in though, you can believe that she'll be using the Deku Rod, since its just so fitting! Groose will most likely be in here, but well, Demise might make things complicated. Darbus is an interesting suggestion, and I really have considered Ashei though!_

_**Sigma73**: All good suggestions, though for reasons I can't disclose yet, putting in the Hero's Shade would make things really confusing later on... And yes, Mahandla is in this chapter, and I think that putting in all the throwbacks from LoZ would have been great too (anything would be better than having to fight the Imprisoned. Geeze!)_

_**Guest**: Ah yes, well... putting the Hero's Shade in would make things SUPER confusing considering who he actually is so... uh, yeah... _

_**ShadowRouge**: She does have some trust issues, and of course she's never played OoT! That would be breaking the fourth wall lol :D_

_Ok, well that's all the guest reviews! Now onto the chapter!_

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><p><em>Chapter 8: Sorceress of the Valley<em>

Unlike Sheik and Impa, Link and Lana cooperated much better in capturing the west ruins keep in a timely manner. Working side by side, the hero and the white sorceress cleared the way through the bokoblins in their path, both of them completely engrossed in the adrenaline of battle. Both of them were fairly fast-paced fighters, and Link's skill with a blade and Lana's prowess of magic were certainly unprecedented and advanced, which was why the two of them were able to conquer the west keep in a matter of minutes, hardly running into any trouble at all.

"Alright!" Lana said cheerfully as soon as they had taken out the last monster inside of the keep. "The west keep is ours! Great work everyone!"

"Looks like Sheik and Impa are just finishing up in the east," Proxi reported to Link after having just flown above the battlefield to get a better vantage point. However, before the hero could translate what the fairy had said to the sorceress, she offered up a response instead.

"Then we should go meet up with them and attack the ruins directly," Lana said, closing her book of sorcery before she prepared to move on ahead, before she noticed the look of confusion that both Link and Proxi were giving her. "What?" she asked innocently, though there was a coy grin on her face.

"You can understand fairies too?" the hero asked her, thinking that he was unique in this ability after what Proxi had told him when they first met.

"Of course!" the white sorceress said with a giggle. "Just one of the many perks of being a sorceress! And believe me, I already know all about how you can, Link. After all, the ability to communicate with fairies is one of the many things that makes the Spirit of the Hero so special…" She gave a small, somewhat wistful sigh before turning to her chipper manner once more. "Now, come on! We don't have any time to waste! We gotta defeat Cia as soon as possible!"

The hero simply nodded in agreement with this as the two carried onwards, plowing through the surrounding bokoblins with ease. The Hylian troops that had gone with them followed in their wake, making sure that no monsters were heading towards their allied base, lest they lose their footing against the enemy altogether.

The path to the entry of the ruins was relatively short, but it quickly became even clearer that Cia was watching the Hylian troops' every move as she cast some of her dark magic out from the top of the ruins. Not wanting to be interrupted by the advancing soldiers just yet, the black witch conjured up a series of dark, twisting, thorny vines, sprouting up tall and thick at the main entry of the ruins. Link and Lana were only a few feet away when the vines sprung up, immediately impairing their only path ahead.

"The entrance to the ruins is blocked by all these weird vines!" Proxi exclaimed to the pair, stating the obvious. "It looks like we're stuck…"

"Not for long," the hero said with determination as he rushed forward towards the dark, wriggling plants, heavily swiping his sword across them. However, it did little to cut them down, barely even leaving much of a dent in them at all as they continued to stand in place, just as stubborn as ever.

Link let out a sight of frustration as he continued to hack away at the vines brutally, with Lana soon joining in by casting a few spells at them, though their efforts were ultimately fruitless. After several minutes of watching their poor attempts however, Cia apparently began to grow bored as she let out an uninterested yawn that echoed throughout the valley like the rest of her statements. "Oh, come on!" she said in exasperation. "Is that really the best you can do? I expected so much more, especially from you, Link…"

Upon hearing these mocking words, the hero could no longer contain his anger towards the black witch, who merely seemed to be toying with all of them and preventing them from finally putting an end to the violent war that had already claimed many lives. "If you want me so badly, then why don't you come down here and face me instead of just blocking our path with these stupid vines!?" Link shouted challengingly back at Cia, knowing that she would hear him. However, in response to his boldness, the black witch simply laughed with aroused pleasure, his words only lighting her burning desire for him all the more.

"Um, Link?" Lana cut in as the hero let out a growl of frustration at his foe not taking him seriously. "I think we have a problem…" Temporarily placing his aggravation towards Cia aside for the moment, Link turned around from the vines to see what Lana was referring to. A group of enemy captains, specifically, armored soldiers known as darknuts, had come up behind the two of them while they were preoccupied with trying to get rid of the vines. There were about four of them, a rather daunting amount considering darknuts were not the easiest foes to bring down, especially considering the fact that the hero and the white sorceress were outnumbered by them, as well as all of the surrounding bokoblins that had joined them.

With only a mutual nod, Link and Lana sprung into action against their foes, both of them taking on two at once. The white sorceress made use of her electrifying barrier magic for both offense and defense, pushing the walls of magic into the darknuts to repel them and damage them. At the same time, the hero moved swiftly and precisely, using his shield to block every attack he didn't dodge before countering with fast, intentional stabs and swipes. However, the darknuts were strong, even for two skilled fighters such as the two of them. Almost at the exact same moment, both Link and Lana sustained an injury from the respective darknuts that they had not been paying mind to. In trying to protect her chest from a hit, the sorceress had one landed across her arm, eliciting a cry of pain from her as it began to bleed, while the hero took a heavy blow to his unarmored right shoulder, the darknut's sword cutting in deep. With no time to heal or recover from their respective injuries, Link and Lana stood back to back in a face-off against the enemies, their breathing heavy as they tried to figure out a way to cut them down all at once. That is, until someone else did that for them.

The darknuts before Lana suddenly fell to the ground in a crumpled heap from a burst of light emitted from behind them, accompanied by a melody known as the Prelude of Light. Likewise, the two darknuts facing Link also collapsed in defeat as a large, heavy blade cut through their middle, downing them almost instantly.

The hero and the white sorceress couldn't help but smile gratefully at the two Sheikah women who had come to their rescue at just the right moment. "It looked like you two needed some help…" Impa mused with a confident smile, sheathing her giant blade.

"We had things under control," Link said with a hint of sarcastic joking in his tone, trying to forget about his earlier frustration over Cia.

"Oh, really?" the Sheikah guardian asked, playing along with him as she looked at the blood pouring down from his wounded shoulder with raised eyebrows. "Then what's that?"

"Oh, you mean this?" the hero asked, still clearly joking as he tried to avoid cringing in pain from the damage done to his shoulder blade. So instead, he simply grinned and shook his head, as if it didn't concern him at all. "Just a scratch."

Impa rolled her eyes at his roughish, playful ways, though it was hard for her to suppress her amused grin, glad that he could take the pain of an injury like this much better than some of her other soldiers. Likewise, Lana giggled a bit at the hero's humorous behavior as she healed up her own arm a bit before working on his shoulder as best as she could. Even Sheik let out a brief chuckle of levity from underneath her face coverings.

"So," Impa said a moment later with renewed seriousness. "What's the situation?"

"The front's blocked," Lana informed her and Sheik with a frown. "We need to find another way into the ruins… If I remember correctly, there should be another entrance in the east, but there's a gorge separating us from it…"

"How are we going to get across then?" Sheik asked as they all turned to look towards the east, which of course, was littered with monsters just like the rest of the valley.

"I think I can come up with something…" the white sorceress said with a sly grin as she prepared to move onward. "Now, come on! Let's get going!"

"What are you all planning…?" Cia's voice suddenly cut through to them, as she had made sure to overhear their conversation. "Well, whatever it may be, you can be certain I'll have a counter strategy!"

Upon hearing the black witch tease them once more, the hero cast a glare towards the top of the ruins, but his anger was quickly calmed by the white sorceress placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder, since she hadn't been able to heal the other one fully, and gave him a small, reassuring smile to calm him down. She certainly understood his frustration; after all, Cia was just prolonging this battle for as long as possible, but for what reason, Lana couldn't figure out.

And yet all the same, the group set out towards the east, cutting a swath through Cia's hordes with gusto and fervor. However, the black witch was quick to mock their efforts once more, her smooth laugh echoing across the valley for all to hear. "Why do you insist on making me wait?" she asked playfully, though there was a hint of true impatience in her tone. "Don't you know I'm awfully bored sitting up here all by my lonesome… Perhaps I'll just have to come knocking at your base to give you a little more… motivation…"

Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik all stopped in their tracks upon hearing this, already guessing that Cia had a plan to attack the allied base. "We can't let her get out base!" the white sorceress exclaimed worriedly, knowing that letting their base fall would be the same as welcoming defeat itself. "We have to do something to protect it!"

"I'll take care of the enemies advancing from the east," Sheik volunteered, knowing that they would descend from the ruins in that direction towards the southern base. "Use that time to get across the gorge."

"Why go that far…?" Impa muttered to herself, giving another suspicious glance to the Sheikah warrior as she wondered why she would offer to fight on the other side of the battlefield at a moment like this.

"I'm coming with you," Link said to Sheik, not wanting to see her get hurt again after what happened in Faron Woods.

The Sheikah warrior merely shook her head, already poising her harp to fight. "No," she said succinctly. "I'll go alone."

Upon hearing this, the Sheikah guardian's cautious gaze turned to an all-out glare. Perhaps she had been wrong in giving Sheik the benefit of the doubt earlier; perhaps, by splitting off from the rest of the group, the Sheikah warrior planned on betraying them still. "In that case, I'll hold the center," Impa said unassumingly, not wanting to tip anyone, not even Link or Lana off to her suspicions. She did, however, want to keep a close eye on Sheik, just in case she was right about her after all.

"Then we'll head towards the gorge," Lana said with resolve. "And we'll all meet up again at the summit so we can face Cia together!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with this plan as they split up, Sheik and Impa taking their separate paths as Link and Lana continued on together. After knocking out a few more monsters, the hero and the sorceress finally made it to the gorge, which was both far too wide and too deep to cross by any conventional means. And yet, Lana didn't let this fact daunt her as she held her book of sorcery out in front of her, letting it rise magically from her hands until it was floating above her head. Link watched with wonder as the white sorceress's book glowed a soft blue color, before, with a small shout, she threw her tome into the gap altogether, much to the hero's shock.

However, Lana only smiled confidently as her book rose up by itself a blue, shimmering magical bridge somehow being formed by it. The bridge filled over the gorge securely, connecting the two land masses and forming a path to the eastern ruins entrance.

"Wow," Link said in awe as him and Lana stepped out onto the surprisingly sturdy bridge, the white sorceress reclaiming her tome as they did so. "Impressive…"

"Thanks," Lana said with a small, bashful blush, brushing a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear. She did her best to hide the fact that any compliment from the hero warmed her heart, but it was hard considering he was right beside her.

Upon finally making it into the only open entryway to the ruins, the pair was once again met with a disheartening sight. Apparently, the vines that Cia had set in place at the main entrance were not the only ones. The wriggling plants still blocked off much of the ruins from the inside, barring their progress still.

"There's vines everywhere!" Proxi exclaimed to Link and Lana after having gone high for reconnaissance once more. "They're even blocking the path to the summit!"

"We need to deal with these things once and for all," the hero said in annoyance as he took down a few stray bokoblins nearby. "Otherwise, we'll get nowhere."

"If I heard correctly, there's some sort of item in the ruins that might be able to help," the white sorceress said, glancing around the ruins. "We have to find it!"

With this new mission in mind, the pair set off in the only direction that they could, to the west. The walkways of the ruins were surprisingly free of monsters, even though the two of them were getting quite close to the black witch herself, who had gone strangely quiet for some reason. However, the keeps that composed the ruins were packed full of monsters, making the task of capturing them all the more difficult. And yet, Link and Lana, as well as the Hylian soldiers following after them, somehow managed to capture one of the inner keeps all the same, even though it took quite a fair bit of work and fighting. With the monsters cleared out of the keep, the item that they had been looking for appeared as if by providence: a simple, yet sturdy wooden boomerang.

"Hey!" Proxi chimed as Link claimed the boomerang. "With that thing, I'd bet anything that we'll finally be able to cut down those vines, no problem!"

"It's worth a shot," the hero said as the white sorceress nodded in agreement, before the two of them rushed towards the summit path once more. And sure enough, it did the trick, knocking down the vines barring the ruins summit, the residual effect cutting down the rest of the vines throughout the valley as well. However, before they could finally make their approach on the summit and the black witch herself, they both failed to notice the group of monsters that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind them until it was too late.

Lana let out a sharp gasp as a sudden burst of pain exploded across her exposed back, blood already pouring from the heavy gash that she had just received from a darknut right behind her. As the sorceress collapsed to her knees in agony, Link was quick to leap between her and the captain, instantly running his blade through its armored chest with enough force to strike it down almost instantly. Upon seeing their leader fall, the resurgent bokoblins retreated, lest they meet a similar fate, leaving the hero to tend to the wounded sorceress. Quickly, Link kneeled down beside Lana, noticing that the cut ran long and thick down her back, completely incapacitating her as she lowered her head, her breathing short and trembling with pain.

"L-Link…" the white sorceress said between agonized gasps of breath. "You… you n-need to go f-fight Cia…"

"But what about you?" the hero asked with immense concern for her poor condition.

"I… I'll be f-fine…" Lana said, cringing from the warm pain flowing down her back. "I-Impa and Sheik s-should be here… s-soon anyway…. N-now go… end t-this war… once a-and for all…"

"Are you sure?" Link asked worriedly, fearing that she would get attacked while he was gone and that she would be unable to defend herself.

"Y-yes…" the white sorceress said, sitting down upon her knees as she held her hand towards her back, already starting to work her healing magic upon it. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, her heart warmed by the fact that he was showing so much concern for her, but even so, she knew what had to be done, even despite her own injuries.

Though hesitant to leave Lana behind, the hero also understood this, knowing that if they did not strike against the black witch now, they might not have the chance later. However, before Link left, he made sure to ask Proxi to stay behind with the white sorceress and alert him at the first sign of trouble, which the fairy dutifully agreed to. And, after casting one more concerned glance at his wounded ally, the hero rushed up the steps to the summit, to where the black witch certainly stood in wait.

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><p>The first thing that Link noticed upon entering the summit keep was not the fact that it was filled to the brim with many different types of monsters, which was to be expected after all. Instead, what caught his eye even more was the large circular portal towards the back of the keep, from which an immense amount of dark magic was pouring forth, creating more and more monsters with each passing second. No doubt, this was the Gate of Souls that Lana had spoken of, and the woman standing before it with her back turned to the hero, summoning the monsters forth from the gate, could be none other than Cia herself.<p>

At first, it seemed as though the black witch had not noticed Link as he arrived, and even more bewildering was the fact that none of the monsters within the keep were making so much as a single move to attack him at all. However, no less than a moment later, a sudden flash of golden light emitted from the back of Cia's hand, something that she clearly noticed as she lowered her lifted hands, halting her magic for a moment to examine the glow.

"Oh?" she mused to herself, a dark grin spreading across her face as she realized that the object of her affections had finally come to her. With a small laugh, the black witch finally turned to face the hero, who already had his sword drawn and ready to fight her, even as the two of them stared each other down.

Cia's physical appearance had been far from what Link had been expecting based on Lana's description of her. He had thought that the woman who once bore the title "Observer of Time" would be a bit more chaste in her dress, but it was clear that the black witch's intention was to show off as much of her body as possible. And indeed, she was quite beautiful, with a tall, shapely, pronounced figure and warm, caramel skin. Her face, however, was obscured behind a mask that bore semblance to a bird in some ways, its nose curving over Cia's own. From underneath her concealing mask, some of her short white locks of hair peeked out, though most of it was covered by her violet and gold headdress. Tufts of red feathers peeked out from the metal bracer upon her right shoulder along with a strip of lavender fabric that furled out onto her back, and on that arm, her purple sleeve ran long past her hand. Her left arm was bare aside from the copious amounts of golden decorations she wore upon it, including a heavy bracelet around her wrist. Her chest armor, if it could even be called that since there was so little there, ran very low, curving around her breasts and rejoining below her navel. Aside from being showy in her chest area, the near-entirety of her left leg was uncovered save for a golden bracelet around it, revealing the twisted red marks she bore running down her leg down to her gold and violet boots. Her other leg was entirely covered, and from her golden array of belts came the back half of a long skirt that splayed out behind her. Overall, her entire appearance would be enough to distract any man by simply looking at her, but the hero had fortunately never been swayed by such shallow showings of a woman's body and now was certainly not the time to let himself be taken in by such things.

"Ah..." Cia said with a lustful smile as she took Link's appearance in, her pink lips curling into an even more seductive smile. "Link… the great hero… At _last _you've come to see me… Stand still for a moment, and let me get a good look at you…" With another small chuckle, the black witch began to step towards the hero, her hidden eyes practically burning with desire for him. All the while, Link kept a focused glare on his foe, keeping his guard up no matter what, just in case she decided to launch some sort of sneak attack on him.

"I do apologize for the rather… uncouth attempts made on your life by my foolish little cohorts, Volga and Wizzro…" the black witch went on, savoring each step she got closer to him. "They were only supposed to capture you and bring you to me. After all, the last thing I want is to see you dead, my dear, beloved hero…"

Upon hearing her disturbing words, Link tightened his grip on his sword, especially as Cia got closer to him. "Why do you want me so badly anyway?" he asked her, his voice nowhere near as bold as he wanted it to be. "And if you do capture me, what are you going to do then?"

"Both very good questions, my dear…" the black witch said as she began to circle him, eyeing him as if he were her prey. "That's what I like about you spirit bearers: you always want to get right to the point." Cia paused for a moment when she made her way completely behind him, knowing that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye, but nonetheless, he was unable to do anything as she quickly reach her hand out towards him, placing her fingertips upon the back of his neck ever so slightly and using her magic to paralyze him where he stood. The hero panicked upon realizing that he couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried, knowing that he was now completely at the mercy of the black witch and whatever untoward things she planned on doing to him.

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><p>Lana let out a sigh of relief when she finally caught sight of Impa and Sheik approaching her. She was just about finished healing her back, even though she knew that it would still most likely ache for a while, but it would have to do for now. Slowly, the white sorceress attempted to stand, but she found that she was still in too much pain to do that at the moment, something that both Sheikah women realized as they rushed to her aid.<p>

"Are you alright?" Impa asked as she lent a hand to help Lana up.

"Yeah," the white sorceress said, cringing with pain as she fully stood, still relying on the Sheikah guardian for support for a moment or two.

"Where's Link?" Sheik asked, glancing around and noticing that the hero was nowhere in sight.

"He went to face Cia," Lana replied, nodding towards the ruins keep at the top of the nearby stairs.

"Alone?" the Sheikah warriors asked with concern, unhidable worry filling her ruby eyes. She understood just how dangerous it could possibly be to send anyone into the den of their main foe alone, but Sheik began to fear for Link's safety and wellbeing in going head to head with Cia on his own. "I have to help him."

"Don't you mean _we _have to help him?" Impa asked suspiciously, very much on edge at the possibility that Sheik was about to turn them all over to Cia, especially Link.

However, the Sheikah warrior did not offer up a response as she simply went on ahead, hoping that she could make it to the hero's side before it was too late.

* * *

><p>Satisfied that Link wouldn't put up a resistance to her, Cia moved in closer to him, her eyes running up and down his form with obvious lust. "Mm…." she mused softly as she committed everything about him to memory. "Very nice… Tall, strong, <em>incredibly <em>handsome… As usual…" The black witch let out a sultry laugh as she came to stand right in front of the hero, leaning into his face as he tried to avert the haunting glow that the slitted eyes of her mask gave off. "Ah…" she said with a yearning sigh, taking him by the chin and forcing him to meet her gaze. "Those eyes… Just as beautifully blue as they were in your past lives… So pure… So courageous… So… _irresistible…"_ Knowing that Link wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her, Cia leaned in even closer, sensually pushing herself up against his body until her hands were pressed against his chest and her breath was caressing his neck. Even though he was paralyzed, she could still feel him tremble against her touch, as well as feel his heart pounding in his chest at her incredible closeness to her, his fear thrilling her more and more with each passing second.

"Yes…" Cia whispered as she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly, gently brushing her lips against his neck in soft, carnal kisses as the hero kept his eyes tightly shut so he wouldn't have to see, even though he could still feel the sensation that made his skin crawl. He had never felt more violated in his entire life, and yet, as much as he wanted to break free from her hold, he was absolutely powerless to. "Oh…" the black witch let out a heavy sigh as she moved her lips to his cheek, giving it a long, drawn out kiss. "My love…" she whispered softly, her voice seeming to tremble itself even despite her former confidence. "My hero…" Her hands began to move down the hero's chest slowly, her own heart swelling as he felt his muscles tense as she got lower and lower. "_My _Link…" Her voice was barely audible as her hands finally got to the point that they were far too low for his comfort, and even though Link was utterly restricted, he was not about to consent to what she seemed to want to do.

"S-stop!" he finally exclaimed nervously, his breathing tense as he did everything in his power to pull himself away from her, even if he still couldn't. And yet, much to his surprise, Cia complied for some reason, her hands moving from their uncomfortable position to the sides of his face instead.

"And still so innocent I see…" she said with a coy, playful laugh, knowing that she had gotten the better of him. "But all the same, I suppose there will be time for such things later…" At long last, the black witch finally let him go, breaking her spell upon him as she turned and walked away from him slowly, her hips deliberately sashaying all the while. "After all…" she said with a hint of darkness in her tone as she took her place before the Gate of Souls once more. "First things first…"

Looking to her still-glowing hand once more, Cia held out her palm as Link took up his defensive position once more, refusing to let her trap him like that again. However, he could only look on in confusion as a small golden triangle appeared floating above her hand, its aura shining brightly amidst the darkness filling the keep.

"The Triforce is resonating so powerfully with you here, Link…" the black witch said with greed in her tone rather than lust. "Just as I knew it would…"

The hero glared sharply at his foe, but before he could say anything, another voice finally interrupted them. "Link!" Sheik exclaimed, rushing towards him as fast as she could. She came to stop at his side, looking him over to make sure that he was unharmed, which, for the most part, he was. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Link said with a nod, masking well the disturbing experience he had just been through thanks to the black with. "I am."

However, less than a second after the Sheikah warrior entered into the keep, Cia's constant grin finally faded as she held her golden triangle, the Triforce of Power, out even more as its glow brightened almost two fold, the power radiating from it increasing dramatically. "Two…" she murmured to herself, clenching the piece of the golden power into her fist as her grin returned. "Oh, I see… And here I was thinking that I would have to go on a hunt for the last piece, but it turns out that you two have brought them both to me at once… That's certainly welcome news… Unfortunately, the ritual is not yet complete, so I'm afraid I'll have to keep you all at bay for just a little while longer…"

With another dark laugh, Cia quickly spun around to face the Gate of Souls once more, not even giving Link or Sheik, as well as Lana and Impa, who had just arrived at the entryway of the keep themselves, any time to react. An immense amount of dark energy began to pour forth from the gate as the black witch held up her hands up towards it, the Triforce of Power sparkling brightly upon the back of her hand. "Come forth, servant!" she commanded firmly, beckoning forth a new monster from the gate. "Come and send these wretched fools to their graves!"

As Cia spoke, the resounding quake centered in the middle of the valley began to rumble violently, prompting the group of warriors to quickly look over in that direction. From their high vantage point upon the summit, they were able to clearly see what manner of beast the black witch had called to the battlefield.

Four long, thorny plant-like stalks ripped forth from the dry earth, each one of them bearing a large head with a vicious, sharp-toothed maw, somewhat similar in appearance to a Deku Baba only much more dangerous. The stalks and heads were rooted to a thickly covered bulb, which did not root it to the ground, allowing it to move around slowly. The entire beast was covered in what appeared to be some sort of a metallic hide, making it difficult for the Hylian troops already working to attack it to do any sort of damage. The plant let out a deafening screech as it held one of its four heads high, launching a large, explosive seed in the direction of the allied base, which was only a few meters south of its position.

"It's a Manhandla!" Lana exclaimed with a gasp, informing the rest of the group about this new monster. "It's launching an attack on our base! We have to do something about it!"

Before anyone could say anything else however, they all heard Cia's wicked laughter coming from behind them, and yet, as they spun around to face her once more, they found that she had completely vanished.

"She got away!" Impa said with a scowl of aggravation.

"We'll deal with her later," Link said, already leading the way back down to the middle of the valley with his sword brandished. "Right now, we need to take that thing out!"

Without another moment's waste, everyone followed after the hero, rushing down towards Manhandla as it continued to rage around violently, spitting seeds at the allied base every few seconds. The creature's attack patterns were erratic, but certainly deadly as quickly spun around like a whirlwind, knocking every soldier in its path down and wounding, if not killing them all indefinitely. However, upon noticing the four warriors approach it, it quickly joined its four heads together before spitting a barrage of small seeds at them, quite a few of them making direct hits and causing minor burns upon contact. And yet, this certainly didn't stop any of them as they tried everything in their power to land a hit upon Manhandla, whose armored skin protected it from any and all harm. And yet, as soon as its seed attack was finished, its armor apparently seemed to briefly dissipate for a moment, revealing its organic green flesh before metal covered it once more, something that gave Proxi an idea the moment she saw it.

"Hey, Link!" the fairy said, flying in close to the hero as he fought. "Wait until that monster has exposed itself, right after it attacks, and then hit it with your boomerang! Maybe that will stun it enough for us to attack it!"

Link nodded in agreement with this advice and put it to good use as Manhandla held its four heads together, this time in a line, in preparation to lash out once more. Not missing a single beat, the hero swung the boomerang he had retrieved earlier and sure enough, it struck each of the heads in a quick succession. However, instead of the heads simply collapsing to the ground, they did something that was even more fortunate for the Hylian troops, they recoiled altogether and caused the shielding around its bulb to fall, revealing its internal weak point.

At once, all of the nearby soldiers, as well as Link, Lana, Sheik and Impa converged on the monster, knowing that they had a perfect opportunity to damage it. They attacked its weak point brutally, knowing from experience that they would only have a short amount of time do to so before it recovered.

When Manhandla finally did recover, it did so by spinning quickly, its heads righting themselves as it recovered its weak point and knocked all of its attackers away from it roughly. However, before the Hylian troops could attempt to strike it again, the entire beast suddenly plunged down into the rocky earth that it had come from, leaving not so much as a trace behind.

"That monster is still alive!" Proxi said, still able to sense Manhandla's presence somewhere in the battlefield. "I think it just fled underground for now, but it will be back!"

The fairy could not have spoken any more truthfully, for but a moment after she said this, about five Manhandla stalks, all independent of their base bulb, appeared in various portions of the battlefield, all of them spitting seeds towards the allied base at once with the hopes of damaging it. The Hylian troops all over the valley took note of this as they all rushed towards the nearest stalk without hesitation, all of them working to cut down the armorless plants.

"Keep calm!" Lana urged before the group of four split off to take down the stalks themselves. "If we hit the right stalk, the main body should pop out so we can end this!"

"What is this, hide-and-seek?" Impa asked in exaggeration, her giant blade already poised to attack as she cut down one of the stalks that had appeared only a few feet away from their location. "Fine! If we must, then we must!"

The group split up once more, each one heading to attack a different Manhandla stalk along with the rest of the soldiers. Sheik was the first to tear her respective stalk down, tearing through its thorny flesh with her kunais, only to see that it did little to bring the full creature back to the surface.

"This one wasn't it!" she exclaimed as loudly as she could so that her allies could hear her.

At the same time, Impa cut her blade through the head of another stalk, likewise seeing no results as it collapsed to the ground. "Neither was this one!"

Link ran his sword through yet another stalk, knowing that their numbers were running thin, especially as this one shriveled up and merely died like the rest of them. "Looks like there's only one left!" he called, and at that very moment, all three of them turned to see Lana take down the last Manhandla stalk with a burst of magic, the full body of the beast ripping forth from the earth almost immediately afterwards.

"Found it!" the white sorceress exclaimed with a bright grin. "It won't escape this time! We've got it right where we want it!"

After this juncture, the second half of the battle played out much like the first. Manhandla stuck to its old tactics once more, and the troops made sure to stay clear of it as it spun around or spread a field of poison around itself. Watching its moves carefully, Link tossed the boomerang towards it after its heads became vulnerable after another seed attack, and sure enough, the bulb peeled itself away once more. With its weak point open, the warriors all attacked it relentlessly, pounding away at it until Manhandla's heads shriveled up and the plant beast finally withered in defeat. The Hylian troops let out a triumphant cheer at their victory, but Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik knew that there was still an even bigger foe that had to be faced.

"Hurry!" Lana called to her allies as they began to rush back to the summit. "We have to get back to Cia immediately!"

Since the battlefield was now clear of the black witch's forces, returning to the summit keep was easy and quick. However, upon making it back to the lair of their foe, the four of them found that Cia was still nowhere in sight. The only thing there was the Gate of Souls, still swirling with darkness just as it had before.

The four of them didn't exchange any words or plans, just in case their enemy was watching them from nearby, which she certainly was. Instead, they all exchanged a resolved glance as they turned to look ahead to the Gate of Souls, knowing that if they were to close it, then it would finally stem the tide of monsters that had been viciously attacking Hyrule for weeks now.

Link was the first one to take a step towards the gate, however, the very moment he set his foot down, a sudden circle of darkness spread out upon the ground surrounding the group. Lana let out a gasp upon seeing this and quickly flipped high out of its path, already knowing that this was Cia's doing, but the hero and the two Sheikah women had not been as quick. As the white sorceress landed on the ground behind the circle, she watched with wide, worried eyes as dark energy flowed out from it, enveloping the trio as it somehow froze their feet in place, incapacitating them from escaping it.

"W-what is this?!" Impa demanded, trying to move as much as Link and Sheik were, but failing.

"Link, look!" Proxi called out to the hero as she flittered beside him. "Your hand!"

Already feeling the burst of warmth upon the back of his hand, Link lifted it to see the mark of the Triforce of Courage glowing brightly upon it, even moreso than it had the first time he had seen it weeks ago in Hyrule Field. However, the hero wasn't the only one to experience this phenomenon, as he glanced over and saw another piece of the Triforce, this time the lower left triangle, shimmering on the back of Sheik's hand. The Sheikah warrior's eyes were unreadable as she looked upon it, but both Impa and Link looked at her with absolute confusion and shock, especially the Sheikah guardian, whose mind was racing for an answer as to how Sheik had even obtained it.

"Sheik!" Lana exclaimed, having also noticed the two glowing Triforce marks on the backs of their bearers hands, though she didn't understand why they were reacting this much. "That's-"

However, before the white sorceress could finish, both the hero and the Sheikah warrior let out a unified cry of pain, both of them cringing from the sudden internal agony they were feeling, no doubt an effect of the dark magic circle they were trapped in. Impa did not feel such a sensation, but both Link and Sheik certainly did as the two of them doubled over, gasping in sharp pain as they felt as if something had reached inside of them and was savagely searching for something. And, no more than a moment after it had begun, the pain climaxed for both of them as this force drew something from deep within them both. The pieces of the Triforce on the backs of their hands flashed brightly until, with one more anguished pull, the Triforce of Courage was torn from Link and the third piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Wisdom, was ripped away from Sheik. Though they were still stuck in place by the magic circle, the hero and the Sheikah warrior almost collapsed to the ground, both of them still immensely weakened and pained from the dark magic's effect on them as the lost pieces of the golden relic drifted away from them, and towards the one who had stolen them instead.

Cia let out a malicious laugh as she stepped forward from the Gate of Time, having reappeared to claim her prize. A thick dark aura surrounded her now as the two pieces of the Triforce glided over to her, joining their companion on the back of her hand and giving the black witch the complete Triforce.

"How nice of you to bring me the Triforce of Wisdom as well as the Triforce of Courage!" Cia said with another triumphant chuckle. "You don't know how happy this makes me… Especially since you were the one to bring them to me, my dear hero…" The black witch gave Link a flirtatious smile, but the hero remained on his guard as she stepped closer to all of them slowly, her footsteps echoing throughout the keep as tension began to mount. The magic circle finally dissipated and, since Link and Sheik had recovered enough, they both joined Impa in taking up an offensive stance against Cia, while Lana hesitated in doing so as she watched the black witch, whom she had once been so close to, with both dread and concern.

The black witch came to a stop as she held her hands, allowing the three unconnected pieces of the Triforce to hover over them as she looked at them with greed and delight. "Now, I finally have all three pieces…" she said as the ominous aura around her darkened even more. "How wonderful…"

With her dark smirk still apparent, Cia held her hands out as the Triforce levitated from her palms and joined together into its formal shape right above her. "Behold…" she said as her voice shook with excitement, her gaze locked solely on the hero as she knew that if what she was about to do didn't impress him than nothing would. "The majesty of the Triforce!"

The golden relic shined brightly as its power was put to use, something that the white sorceress immediately recognized as she looked towards the hero, fearing that the black witch intended to use its might to capture him or worse. "No!" Lana exclaimed fearfully as they all stared up at Cia and the Triforce in awe and dread. "Link! Run!" Before the hero could even protest, the white sorceress was quick to gasp him by the hand tightly, knowing that she had to lead him to safety before the black witch could get to him and subject him to her lustful desires.

As the ground started to shake violently, both Impa and Sheik also joined Link and Lana as they fled from the summit, knowing that Cia now wielded was too much for any of them to stand against right now. And so, instead, they simply retreated along with the rest of the Hylian troops, knowing that it was the only safe option they had right now.

All the while, the black witch continued to summon the power of the Triforce to act upon her wicked intentions. And, her already sinister grin deepened even more when she heard the telltale voice speaking to her from inside of her heart, giving her instructions on what to do now that the golden power was in her grasp. _"Cia…" _the dark voice whispered to her, though it seemed louder now than it ever had before. _"The time to call forth the fragments of my spirit is NOW."_ The deep voice laughed wickedly in time with the black witch, whose excitement was uncontainable as she kept her hands aloft, still in completely command of the Triforce.

"Yes…" Cia answered, the eyes of her mask glowing a bright orange in response to the darkness in her heart. "I can feel them seeking me out… I shall reunite them once more…" Her wicked chuckle growing ever louder and wilder, the black witch thrust her hands up into the air, darkness pouring from the Gate of Souls behind her in excessive amounts as she let out a powerful shout. Power overwhelmed her, filling every fiber of her being, but Cia treasured the exhilarating feeling, having never known such immense strength before as she watched with triumph as both her magic and the might of the Triforce did their work.

* * *

><p>Not pausing for a single second, Link, Lana, Sheik and Impa continued to hurry away from Cia and the summit, though they could all feel the intense amount of dark energy that was overtaking the land. None of them had any idea what the black witch was exactly doing now that the power of the Triforce was in her grasp, but they all knew that whatever her plans were, they certainly couldn't be good.<p>

However, as a strong explosion of darkness emitted from behind them, none of them could help but stop in their tracks and finally turn around to see what was happening. All of them gasped in complete shock upon seeing the funnel of darkness swirling up from the summit, spiraling up even into the pitch black clouds covering the heavens all over the land. And, from this tunnel, a sudden shockwave began to plow out from the center of it, quickly spreading its course over the entire kingdom and rippling the ground and everything in it in its wake.

Lana's violet eyes widened upon seeing this wave getting closer and closer to their position with each passing second as it raced across Hyrule at a frightening speed. "Everyone!" she called to her allies as she turned around to face them. "Gather around me! Quick!"

Link, Sheik and Impa didn't hesitate to listen to her as they stepped closer to the white sorceress, who was quick to toss her tome of sorcery high up into the air, a blue glow emitting from it as Lana leaped gracefully up to catch it. As she did so, her hand sparkling with magical energy as she landed, casting a sturdy force field around the group the moment as touched the ground, just as the dark wave converged over them.

And it was at that moment, that absolute chaos erupted.

From within the safety of the energy field, the hero, the white sorceress, and the two Sheikahs watched with absolute awe as the world shifted and twisted all around them. Time and nature itself seemed to collapse as the dark energy changed everything it touched, making everything hazy and burred for what seemed like ages. That is, until it's intended effects upon the kingdom could finally be seen.

From the darkened skies above, a large island began to sink down from one of the portals that the energy wave had created. However, this land mass, which seemed to bear a large town upon it, was not surrounded by water, but rather suspended within the sky itself. The ground directly below it, which was to the north west of Hyrule Castle, was completely reformed as the shockwave spread over it, changing from the grassy plains it had once been into a deep, spiraling pit surrounded by a lush forest, an ancient temple standing directly before it.

The outer forests near Faron Woods, to the south of the Valley of Seers, lost its natural lushness as a rock mountain range engulfed it, topping off in a central mountain surrounded by a circular cloud of smoke. To the east of this, a large lake appeared out of once dry land, a treacherous temple buried deep underneath of it.

The fields southwest of the castle were suddenly engulfed in shadows as the land transformed, coloring the blue skies above the golden colors of Twilight. A long stone bridge formed over a vast chasm that had been impassable for many years, and a small village rose up as well. Just to the north of this, a gateway to an entirely different world, one that was eternally drenched in Twilight, appeared out of nowhere, much like the rest of the changes that had just shaken up the kingdom entirely.

All the group of four could do as they looked out across the transformed Hyrule was stare in shock at the signs of eras long gone by, somehow restored and returned to the kingdom just as they were when they had been present. Somehow, Cia had cause time itself to converge, uniting both past and present all at once.

* * *

><p>"<em>Gate of Souls…" <em>the dark voice called out from the black witch, who still remained at the summit, feeling the immense aftereffects of pouring out so much energy at once. _"Hear my voice… And open! At last, my spirit will be freed!"_

With an huge amount of dark magic still swirling around her and through her body, Cia, who was not entirely in control of her own actions at the moment, held her hands high into the air, forming an orb of evil energy before quickly letting it loose across the land. The orb shot high into the air, splitting in three and skyrocketing into the other eras that she had summoned using the Triforce.

One piece of the orb sped through the halls of the Water Temple, lying in the depths of Lake Hylia in the era of the Hero of Time, before bursting inside of its central chamber, creating another Gate of Souls. Likewise, another gate was formed within the throne room of the Palace of Twilight, which stood within the Twilight Realm split off from Hyrule. The last Gate of Souls formed within right before the legendary Gate of Time within the Sealed Temple of the long forgotten era of the goddess Hylia.

The residual darkness that poured from all of these gates immediately stirred up the evil lying in wait within the three stone coffins that rested before them while all manner of monsters were summoned to guard them in every era. As this was happening, the chains barring the split pieces of the spirit of evil were broken, finally freeing the malevolent force that had been kept at bay for generations. With all of the eras joined together, nothing was keeping the fragments of the evil spirit from racing from their former prisons and meeting together directly above the black witch within a matter of moments.

The dark force inside of Cia swelled with evil excitement as the three pieces of the wicked spirit circled above the black witch's head as she held her hands up, before they all converged and struck her, making her their new host. Cia let out a brief cry of pain and doubled over at this, clutching her chest as the intense power their possessed poured through her body, but her agony was very brief as she began to recover, breathing heavily as she listened to the voice speaking solely to her, no longer a mere whisper as it had been before as it spoke to every single fiber of her being.

"_Excellent work, child…" _the evil presence said with a dark, triumphant chuckle, knowing it was one step closer to its ultimate revival. _"Three fragments of my spirit have been returned… The only piece that remains is the one trapped by the Master Sword, and once it is free, you will certainly have your hero you desire so…"_

Cia joined the voice in a dark, sinister laugh as she lifted her head, flames of darkness surrounding her form as the eyes of her mask began to glow ominously once more. "Yes…" she whispered, her body tingling with excitement as she remembered just how close she had been to claiming the hero as her own. And, now that she wielded such power, he was perhaps the only thing that she lacked, but she knew that he could not evade her forever. Even if he did not love her yet, she would destroy everything that kept him from her, and she would make him her own once and for all. "He will be mine and mine alone…" she said distantly, her heavy lust blinding her from the hidden evil intent of her supposed benefactor. "No matter what I have to do…"

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! All the eras have been joined together! Also Cia! Yay! I hope I didn't lay it on too thick with her trying seduce Link and all, but I have to say that was actually my favorite part of the chapter to write! Haha! What can I say? I ship it! Anyway, you all better believe that this isn't the last we're gonna see of Cia, since I have big plans for one of my favorite HW characters! But, for next time, we're gonna have a bit of a break chapter before everyone splits off and whatnot, with relatively little fighting and mostly character development and a chance for our heroes to breathe. Anyway, I'd just like to say before I go that I loved hearing all of your suggestions for characters from the different games, and while I'm sorry to say that I can't put EVERYONE you guys suggested in here, I have planned a few guest appearances out, so keep you eyes open for them! But for now, I'd like to ask you guys another question, as I think will become my new tradition with this story, since you all are such responsive reviews: Who is your favorite character to play as in Hyrule Warriros and why? My personal favorites include Sheik (she's so fast), Twili Midna (Incredibly powerful!), and Link (because he's my bae). So, feel free to let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time!<strong>


	10. Separate Ways

_Ok, so Merry (late) Christmas everyone! I personally had a great (but very busy) holiday, which was why this chapter took so long. You know, spending time with the family and whatnot. Not to mention both a terrible writer's block and abysmal internet connection. And yet, I managed to get this long, mostly not even canon to the story of HW chapter done for you all to enjoy, so yay! But yeah, like I just said, most of this chapter is not actually part of the game, all of the backstorish stuff came out of my brain, but I hope you all will like it, since its good for character building! Now onto the guest reviews!_

_**sigma73**: All will be revealed in due time, my friend... Let's just say I have it all planned out and the Hero's Shade may appear, but not in the way you may think... ;)_

_**GrayishGirl**: I'm really glad you're enjoying it!_

_**ShadowRouge**: Hahaha, he really does though! I'm also glad you like the detail! Personally, I love playing as Link and Midna, but I think Zelda is only good with her dominion rod and Darunia's a little clunky for me, but that's just me._

_**CiaFTW**: Putting the different Links and Zeldas in? Who would ever think to do that? (wink wink) But yes, I do agree that would be super cool... We'll just have to see if it will happen though... And, depending on what's in the MM pack, we might see some stuff from it in here... ;)_

_**Tragedymakesahero**: I'm very glad that you like it! When i write, I always try to make things cinematic, so that it plays out in the reader's mind like a movie! The very next chapter after this one just so happens to be TP, so I'm excited for it too! In answer to whether or not i plan on including the other Links... We'll just have to wait and see! ;D I do understand what you mean though about TP Link having a sort of darker character, as I think so too. And as far as a tragic backstory for HW Link goes, I think you will be quite pleased with this chapter, then! I agree that tragedy makes a hero, something that I always try to incorporate in my writing, something that I hope shines through here! I also agree that Link is great and versatile to play as, and he does really have sort of an anime dynamic going on, which is really cool!_

_Ok, well that's it for now! Let's get started!_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 9: Separate Ways<em>

The land of Hyrule had been torn asunder to the point that it hardly resembled the unified, consistent kingdom it had once been. Now, it much rather resembled a patchwork quilt, with large portions of it replaced with lands from other times entirely, all of which seemed quite out of place when viewed as a bigger picture. The aura of ominous darkness that had fallen upon the land was quite noticeable, certainly a product of the powerful magic Cia had spread across the kingdom. The shockwaves had finally ended, and it seemed as though Hyrule was stable enough, but thanks to the black witch's strike, monsters were pouring forth from the different eras more heavily than ever. It was clear that the source of the rampaging creatures were the Gate of Souls located in each era, spreading out across Hyrule and most likely bringing chaos to the time periods that they originated from as well.

Lana had explained all of this to her allies in full detail as soon as they were sure that the Hyrulian troops were safe and sound in the aftermath of the shockwaves, which most of them fortunately were. A scout team had been sent back into the now-empty Valley of Seers to hunt for Cia, but she had mysteriously vanished without a trace after time was united, as did all of the monsters under her command. With no clear lead on the location of their foe, the Hylian forces were left with no choice but to regroup and come up with a new strategy, one that would hopefully bring peace to the battered kingdom at long last.

"If we can go to each of the three eras, maybe we'll have a chance of closing all of the Gates of Souls in them and stop the monsters from coming," the white sorceress informed the hero and the two Sheikahs as they convened together near the entrance of the valley. "And, if we're lucky, then doing that should also close up all of the portals as well."

"But where do we even start?" Impa asked as she glanced around at the portions of the different eras, all of which could be clearly seen from their vantage point. "That's an awful lot of ground to cover and we simply don't have that kind of time on our hands anymore. This situation is getting worse and worse with each passing day and if we don't put a stop to it soon, then there may not be a Hyrule left to save."

"Maybe we should split up," Link suggested. "We can all take a few troops with us and close each gate at the same time. That way we can go in and get out quickly, before things can get any worse."

"Great idea, Link!" Lana chimed with a bright smile. "And once we're done, we'll come back here and stop Cia in her tracks once and for all! Now, let's decide who's going where…" The white sorceress turned from the rest of the group to face the isle hovering above them in the sky to the west. "Over there is the ancient island in the sky, which the old goddess Hylia lifted up from the earth herself during the great war," she said, calling upon her vast knowledge of Hyrule's history. "Its inhabitants called it Skyloft and they say a peaceful, prosperous city rested up there, but I'm sure it's being attacked by all sorts of monsters now, thanks to Cia…"

"I'll go up there," the hero volunteered with resolve, also looking up to Skyloft.

"Ok, then," Lana said with a nod to Link. "There should be a pillar of light somewhere below the base of the island that will get you up there. Next is that huge mountain near Faron, which comes from the period of the Hero of Time. It's called Death Mountain, and it was an ancestral home to the strong Goron tribe."

"I can travel there," the Sheikah guardian offered, already knowing that such a dangerous terrain was well-suited for her skills.

"Ok, then," the white sorceress nodded in agreement. "I guess that leaves the Era of Twilight to me!" she said, referring to the lands to the southwest that were blanketed in shadows before turning to the only member of the group who was undecided. "What about you, Sheik?"

Though the Sheikah warrior seemed to ponder this question for a moment, it was apparent that her mind was already made based on how she responded. "I'll go to the Era of the Hero of Time with Impa," she said in her constant mysterious tone, though the Sheikah guardian was more caught off guard with this decision than anyone else.

"_What_?" Impa asked a bit too sharply, catching looks of confusion from both Link and Lana, though Sheik's expression remained as calm and stoic as ever.

"Is there a problem, Impa?" the hero asked with a frown, knowing nothing about the first general's distrust for their ally.

The Sheikah guardian held her tongue upon hearing this question, exchanging a subtly shifty glance between the hero, the white sorceress, and the Sheikah guardian, her expression cross yet unreadable. Even though Sheik had come to her aid in facing Volga earlier, Impa still had her doubts and suspicions about the Sheikah warrior, feelings that only grew upon hearing that she wanted to go with her, but for what reason, the first general had no idea. Impa couldn't help but be wary of the strange sort of fixation that Sheik seemed to have on her, one that apparently prompted her to try and follow the Sheikah guardian anywhere she went. But as much as Impa didn't like or understand it, she knew that the other two members of the group, in all of their apparent innocence and trusting, would most likely not sympathize with the Sheikah guardian's desire to not have the Sheikah warrior go with her. And so, she simply decided to let the matter be for now. After all, perhaps if the two of them were to travel together, then Impa would be able to keep a close eye on Sheik and finally uncover any sort of ruse that she might still be putting up. Even though it might have been somewhat risky, it was a chance that the Sheikah guardian was willing to take to finally get to the bottom of this.

"There's no problem," Impa said succinctly, averting everyone's gaze as she glared off to the side. "I'll spread word to the troops. We'll split up at daybreak. For now, start setting up camp; we'll need our rest."

The other three nodded in agreement with this, none of them even giving the Sheikah guardian's hesitation a second thought whatsoever. Without any more deliberation, the group slip up to different tasks as twilight began to fall upon the empty, barren area that the Hylian troops were going to spend the night within. It seemed safe enough of a spot considering the fact that Cia's forces had seemed to have moved on, but even so, once the Hylian soldiers were settled in, they made sure to set up a watch around their encampment, just in case there was a chance they could be assailed in the middle of the night. By the time all of the tents were set up and several small fires had been built, night had fallen and everyone had started to rest, knowing that their next mission certainly called for it, especially considering the battles of the past day alone.

Though the grounds near the Valley of Seers were arid and warm during the day, the temperatures dropped significantly at night, something that Link and Sheik were quick to discover as they sat near one of the fires alone, as both Lana and Impa were preoccupied. The white sorceress was busy using her magic to tend to some of the wounded soldiers while the Sheikah guardian prepared a convoy to send back to the castle so that the rest of the kingdom would be properly informed about the events of the war thus far. Since they had relatively little they had to do, the hero and the Sheikah warrior had both opted to rest near the warm fire and yet, even after they had finished off their meager dinner rations, there had not been much conversation between them. Though Link had tried multiple times to start one, Sheik would only ever answer him with a nod or a simple "yes" or "no". While the hero didn't distrust the Sheikah warrior like Impa did, he couldn't help but be curious about her, especially since she came off as so mysterious and fascinating, even if she wasn't much for conversing like he was.

"So…" Link began somewhat awkwardly, glancing over at Sheik as she intently watched the fire before them. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"As far as I recall, you've been doing that very thing for the past half hour," the Sheikah warrior said not with annoyance, but with joking sarcasm instead. "But you may ask whatever you wish."

"Why did you volunteer to go with Impa earlier?" the hero asked curiously, simply wondering about the reasoning for such a choice and little else.

Sheik didn't answer his question right away as she continued to gaze into the fire, the flames making her crimson eye seem to burn even more. And, when she finally did answer, her response was surprisingly complex and detailed. "Because I noticed the exact same thing that you did in the woods earlier," she said, her voice carrying a bit more emotion than it normally did. "She is greatly troubled by the princess's disappearance, more than anyone else is. Of course, it only makes sense; after all, she practically raised Princess Zelda from childhood. They are quite close. Like sisters almost…" The Sheikah warrior let out a small, wistful, almost regretful sigh before she went on. "I fear for what might happen to Impa if she travels alone. She may try to overexert herself in trying to locate the princess and get into serious trouble. As we both know, she has years and years of experience and service behind her, but even the very best need assistance from time to time."

Link smiled softly and nodded upon hearing this, knowing that even though they had just met, it was clear that Sheik cared for the wellbeing of the first general, just as he did. "I'm glad you're going with her," he said. "Hopefully, it will help her trust you a little more and maybe between the four of us, we can find Zelda out there somewhere."

Sheik was silent for a beat upon hearing this, especially upon hearing the resolve and determination in his tone, but before too long, she finally let her words slip out. "The princess is not as far as you think…" she said in a voice that was almost a whisper, though the hero certainly heard them nonetheless. And yet, he did not say anything in response, but rather looked over at her with even more bewilderment than before. The Sheikah warrior made sure to avert his intense, blue-eyed gaze as much as she could, already wishing that she could take back her words for she had just said far too much.

"Sheik?" Link asked with a frown, knowing without a doubt that she was hiding something from him. "Do… do you _know_ where Zelda is?"

Sheik shut her eyes tightly upon hearing this question, as it was one that, if she was perfectly honest, she could answer with a yes. And yet, she knew that it was still too early to tell anyone, including both the hero and the Sheikah guardian. In time, the truth would finally be revealed, but for now, it was better for everyone if the Sheikah warrior kept her secrecy up, just as she had been doing this whole time.

"Sheik?" the hero pressed once more, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder, but before he could actually get anywhere, they were interrupted by the white sorceress joining them, perkily plopping herself down near the fire without even realizing that she had broken through a rather tense moment.

"Well, everyone should be all healed up and ready to go tomorrow morning!" Lana said cheerfully, a bright grin on her pink lips. "So… What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Sheik was quick to say as she turned back toward the fire, ignoring the somewhat suspicious glance that Link was giving her because of how shifty she seemed to be acting.

"Oh… well… um…" the white sorceress bit her lip somewhat awkwardly, trying to figure out how to start a new conversation out of nothing. "Anyone know where Impa is?"

"I'm right here," the Sheikah guardian said, as if on cue as she approached the fire and also took a seat, making sure she was in a position that would make it easy for her to keep a careful eye on Sheik. "Messengers are on their way back to the castle as we speak, so soon everyone will know about the portals and about Cia. The last thing that is needed during a war like this is for wild rumors to be breaking out among the common people."

"Good," Lana said with a relieved smile. "Hopefully people won't be too frightened by the portals, and they'll know to stay out of the monsters' sight."

The conversation once again drifted away after this as the only sound that could be heard for several minutes as that of the warm fire crackling. However, if there was something that the Sheikah warrior certainly noticed even as she avoided it was the hero still staring at her as he had been doing for quite a while now. And, even though she knew it would only give her away more, Sheik eventually did turn back towards Link and met his gaze, holding it firmly with her fierce red eyes until she could remain silent no longer.

"What?" she asked a bit to sharply than she had wanted to, something that had caught the attention of both the white sorceress and the Sheikah guardian, but as much as the Sheikah warrior wished he would, the hero still did not back down.

"Can I ask you something else?" Link asked as he gave her an examine look, clearly not ready to let this matter go, much to Sheik's chagrin.

"Link-" the Sheikah warrior tried to diffuse him, but it was clear that he intended on continuing no matter what she said.

"Where are you even from?" the hero asked suspiciously, even though he had quite a few other questions he wanted to pose to her, but this one was the simplest one at the moment, and he knew there was much more of a chance that she would actually answer this one directly.

"Hyrule, of course," Sheik said with an unconcerned shrug, something that Link only frowned in disappointment at.

"I don't think that's what he meant, Sheik," Lana said with a giggle, trying to lighten the tight mood that this conversation seemed to be taking. Impa, on the other hand, simply remained silent, observing the Sheikah warrior carefully and trying to interpret her answer as best as possible, realizing that perhaps Link was also starting to catch onto their supposed ally's hidden intentions.

Sheik hesitated in answering once more as she cast a brief glance Impa's way, something that the Sheikah guardian certainly noticed but wasn't sure how to interpret. "The Sheikah tribe is a nomadic one," she answered accurately, something that caught Impa admittedly off guard. If Sheik wasn't a true Sheikah, then she certainly had done her research on them and their rather obscure, secretive culture. "We travel from place to place across Hyrule, protecting the royal family wherever we are needed. Most of us have very little knowledge of our place of birth, and I certainly do not."

The hero looked to the Sheikah guardian for a confirmation on whether or not this fact about the Sheikah tribe was true or not, and though Impa had a bitter scowl on her face, she could not deny that it was as she gave him a small nod. "Ok… well… What about your family? Do you have one?" Link asked, treading carefully as he tried to inquire even more about the Sheikah warrior.

"No," Sheik said, this time immediately, her voice soft yet strangely emotionless. "Most of my kin have been dead for years…" she said with an almost silent sigh as she met Impa's eyes for just a brief moment, still leaving the Sheikah guardian just as confused as ever.

"Oh…" the hero said, feeling a bit guilty about how he had just interrogated her after hearing that, as it was something that he sympathized with quite a bit. "I… I'm sorry… My family's gone too…"

The Sheikah warrior's expression also softened as the two of them exchanged an apologetic glance for the undertone of distrust and harshness their conversation had carried. Silence came over the group yet again as everyone avoided eye contact, each of them occupying themselves with different activities as they sat together to avoid talking; Impa took out her small knife and began to sharpen it, Lana let out a small sigh as she pulled her knees to her chest, Link began to absently prod the fire with a nearby stick, and Sheik glanced up into the starry skies above until she finally looked towards the hero again and raised a question of her own.

"What happened to them?" the Sheikah warrior asked, her voice a bit more tender and vulnerable than it usually.

"Who?" Link asked in slight confusion as he looked up at her.

"Your family…" Sheik said as her eyes met his once more, slightly trying to get divert his attention away from focusing on her but also out of curiosity. "Unless… You'd rather not discuss it, which I would understand…"

The hero frowned upon hearing this request, knowing that the very question was reopening many old wounds that he had worked for so long to close up and move past. And yet, he had come to realize years ago that the past was ultimately something that could never be hidden. After all, pain, even if it is old, demands to be felt. "Until I was about ten years old, I lived with my parents and my little sister in a small village to the west of the woods," he said reminiscently, starting at the beginning. "We didn't have that much, but we had enough to be happy and comfortable, and my parents loved me and my sister a lot. For the longest time, everything was great… That is, until those bandits showed up…"

The other three members of the group all gave Link a pitied, yet intrigued glance. "What… what happened?" Lana asked hesitantly as she gently placed her hand on his arm, urging him to continue.

The hero closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, before looking to the fire once more with both bitterness and deep, hidden pain. "It's not a day I like to remember…"

* * *

><p><em>The summer sun was falling low upon the serene little valley as a father and his son, a boy no older than ten, racing through the nearby meadow in a carefree game of tag, a game that they often partook in when the man did not have to work. To say that the two of them were close was an understatement, as the two were nigh inseparable, something that anyone could see and every member of the small town they lived in knew. The boy followed his father around like a shadow whenever he could, and whenever he had to stay home with his mother and sister, he always showed visible disappointment. After all, the boy saw his father is his sole role model, nothing less than an everyday hero in his young eyes. <em>

_As the two of them were playing, the boy finally caught up with his father, who was clearly giving his son a fair chance, and plowed into him, knocking them both off their feet. They collapsed to the ground together, laughing warmly all the while as they rolled around in the warm grass, covering their clothes in stains that the boy's mother would certainly scold them both for later. At a glance, everything seemed to be well and good with the world as the father and son enjoyed their time together, just as they always did._

_Until, all at once, everything went wrong. _

_A sudden, frighten scream tore through the calm of the early evening, one that the man immediately recognized. His eyes grew wide as he quickly picked himself off of the ground, already lifting his confused son up as well. "Come along, Link," the man said with a kind of seriousness in his tone that his son had never heard him use before. "We have to hurry home, now."_

"_But why, daddy?" the boy asked with a frown as his father took him by the hand and quickly began to rush back towards the village. _

"_Because," the man said with grave worry and fear in his voice. "I think your mother and sister are in trouble…"_

_The boy's blue eyes widened upon hearing this, and much like his father's, his own heart began to pound with adrenaline and dread, especially as the two of them cleared into the main street of the village, half of which had somehow caught fire. But the man knew that there was no time to stop there, as much as he wanted to help his neighbors, especially as he heard his wife's terrified scream louder than ever. In almost no time at all, they made it back to their humble home, which had thankfully not burst into flames just yet, but the sounds of breaking glass and yelling voices inside were clear indicators that those inside were not safe. Even before they burst into the house, the man could hear what the invaders who had broken into his home were shouting as his beloved wife, who simply responded to each of their harsh questions with tearful sobs. _

"_Where is he!?" one of the marauders asked with a deep, hateful voice. _

"_I… I don't know who you're-" the woman began to respond, before she was cut off by the sound of a brutal slap and another scream, this time accompanied by the sound of a young girl crying._

"_Yes, you do, you wretch!" another male voice barked. "Now, just tell us where he is! We know he's here!"_

"_P-please," the woman begged desperately. "Take a-anything you want! Please, just d-don't hurt my family…"_

"_Oh, we'll do a lot more than hurt you if you don't tell us where the boy is!" a third man growled, but this was the last thing anyone said before the woman's husband finally burst through the front door, both rage and horror filling him at the sight he saw._

_Three rugged, well-armed bandits stood within the main room of the house, which was completely ransacked from their raid upon it. The couple's youngest child of about four was being restrained by one of the robbers, who held onto her by her long blonde hair as she cried loudly, having no idea what was going on as her and her mother were attacked. The woman herself was sitting on her knees in front of one of the bandits, who stood with a deadly knife in his hand as he interrogated her, even as blood was already streaming down her chest from the deep cut across her collar bone._

_The woman gasped in both shock and fear as her husband and son arrived on the scene, but as she glanced at the boy, her heart was filled with an unspeakable terror. "Quickly!" she shouted to her husband, not even caring about the cost it would be to herself so long as her son remained safe. "Get Link out of here before it's too late!" However, the very moment after these words left her mouth, the woman let out another scream of immense agony as the third bandit's knife plunged into her back, causing her to collapse to the ground in a puddle of blood and allowing both her husband and son to watch with incredible heartbreak as the life all too quickly faded out of her eyes. _

"_No!" the man shouted in absolute fury as he lunged towards the bandits, tears streaming down his cheeks at the loss of his wife. The little girl's screams and cries only grew louder upon seeing her mother die right in front of her in such a brutal way, but she was quickly silenced by a heavy blow to the head by the bandit holding onto her, and she quickly crumpled to the ground unconsciously. While his father struggled in vain against the knife-wielding bandits, the boy merely stood in the doorway and stared at his mother's dead body in complete shock, frozen in place by both fear and devastation. Unlike his father, he was not brave or strong enough to battle with these murderers, which was why he could do absolutely nothing as the man was ran through in the chest by one of the marauders, knocking him to the ground in semi-consciousness and leaving the boy virtually alone with these brutal killers. _

"_He's the one," the leader of the trio said to his companions as he nodded at the boy, who merely stared at them with wide, terrified eyes. "He has the treasure."_

"_That kid?" one of the others asked incredulously. "He doesn't look like he could be a hero! He doesn't even have the mark of the treasure on his hand like he's supposed to!"_

"_That's 'cause it's inside of him!" the third bandit said, holding his bloodied knife up. "We'll just have to rip it out!"_

"_Not yet," the leader said, holding up his hand to stop his companion. "We need him alive… for now…"_

_The boy had barely heard most of what the bandits were saying about him as he turned his gaze back to his dazed, injured father once more, desperately hoping that he was alright and would save him from these horrible men. And, as the bandits were still conversing, the man just so happened to open his eyes weakly to look at his son, before coughing out his next, and quite likely last, statement. ""Link…" the man said quietly, unable to pick himself up off the ground as he quickly bled out. "R-run…"_

_Tears had finally started to stream down the boy's face as he looked upon his dying father, his hero, who had sacrificed his life in trying to save him. And, as much as his heart was breaking over the fact that he was losing his family so quickly, he followed his father's final command and, before the bandits could even prepare to take him as they planned, he was running through the smoke-filled streets of the town, pushing his way through the crowds of frightened, fleeing people. His heart was pounding and burning as he ran for his life, but he did not look back upon hearing the enraged shouts of the bandits following after him, and he did not see as his house burst into flame with his unconscious little sister, who was helpless to save herself, inside. _

_However, even as fast as the boy ran, he was ultimately too slow for the trio of bandits, who had taken to their horses to chase after him. And, before he could break out of the threshold of the village to head into the safety of the woods nearby, the leader managed to catch him by the color of his shirt, pulling him up onto his racing horse roughly and tying his wrists together tightly. _

"_L-let me go!" the boy cried shakily, knowing that he could not allow himself to be captured by such evil men for whatever purpose they wanted him for. _

"_Don't worry, kid," the leader laughed greedily, giving the boy a dark grin. "We'll take real good care of you... as long as you behave!"_

_The boy let out a small sob, having never been this afraid before in his entire life. He had no idea what was to become of him at the hands of these bandits, but he knew that if he didn't find a way to escape them soon, then he would meet the same tragic fate that the rest of his family just had, as much as it pained him to think that. His family was dead, and it was all because these bandits wanted him for something, though he had no idea what. And yet, as much as he knew he needed to get away, he was again reminded of the fact that he was just a child, far too small and weak to stand up against such burly, dangerous men. However, just as the boy was starting to lose hope altogether, something that was no less of a miracle happened. _

_One of the bandits following behind the leader let out a sudden cry of pain as he collapsed off of his horse completely, falling to the ground to reveal an arrow plunged into his heart from the back. However, even though their companion had just died, the remaining two bandits did not stop, knowing that they could not let go of the prize that they had just collected. While the leader did not look back for a second, the other bandit did, as did the boy, and both of them were able to see a new figure on horseback quickly approaching them, their speed incredible as its rider mounted yet another arrow upon his bow. _

_Looking back proved to be the other bandit's fatal mistake as he soon found an arrow running him through, killing him instantly just as his companion had been. The leader, however, knew he was safe so long as he kept the boy behind him as leverage, for certainly this pursuer, whoever they were, would not bring harm to the child. And yet, what the leader had not been expecting was the speedy feet of the pursuer's horse, for sure enough, they soon pulled their way up in front and blocked the leader's path, forcing his horse to halt for there was no other way to go._

_Only now was the boy able to discern the identity of his supposed savior and once he did, relief instantly filled him. The pursuer was none other than his uncle, a former commander in the Hylian army, who lived in the same village as him and his family had. While the boy was not as close to his uncle as he had been to his father, the two still got along famously, and on many occasions, the former soldier would show the boy some of his skill with a blade, skill that he clearly intended on using here as he drew his sword in offense against the bandit._

"_Let the boy go," the former commander said with a firm, resolved glare. "Now."_

"_Never!" the bandit shouted in fury, pulling the boy up in front of him in order to use him as a human shield against his foe's attacks. "Once I get my hands on the other two treasures, this kid and whoever has the other two are going to make me very rich and very powerful…"_

"_He doesn't have a piece of it!" the commander said, his tone still as unwavering as ever even though he must have known that his brother was dead. "He's just a child. He knows nothing about it and he has nothing that you want or need."_

"_Well, if you want the brat so badly, then why don't you just take him from me?" the bandit asked haughtily, drawing his dagger once more and holding it against the boy's throat. The commander's glare tightened as he rose his bow once more, something that frightened the boy immensely, but his uncle merely reassured him with a confident grin before letting his arrow loose. The projectile missed the bandit by a great deal, flying high over his head, but the marauder was foolish enough to watch it go past him, so that he completely missed the second arrow, which struck him squarely in his exposed neck, sending him tumbling to the ground, finally dead._

_The boy also fell of the horse and onto the ground, letting out a small cry of pain as he landed on his back, but thankfully he sustained no injuries. His uncle was quick to dismount his horse and rush over to his nephew, cutting through the bonds around his wrists and pulling the boy into a tight, comforting embrace. And, now that he was in safe, loving arms once more, he couldn't help but finally let his pressing tears that he had been holding back for so long loose. He wept into his uncle's shoulder for what felt like ages as he realized that his parents and his sister truly were gone, that it was his fault that they were gone. And yet, the commander simply let his young nephew mourn as he gave him a consoling pat on the back, knowing his incredible pain well. _

"_Don't worry, Link…" the commander said consolingly, making a promise to both the grieving, orphaned boy and his deceased parents that he would not be alone after such a tragedy. "I'll take care of you…"_

* * *

><p>"So, my uncle took me in," Link continued, hiding the grief of losing his family in such an awful way well, though all three of his allies could tell that it still pained him even eight years later. "Since our village had been destroyed in the fire, we moved closer to the castle, and for the next several years, he taught me everything he knew about fighting. The more I learned from him, the more I was inspired to join the army just like he had so I could make him proud, and so, when he died from illness a few months ago, that's exactly what I did."<p>

The other three were silent for a moment as all of this sunk in, none of them having thought before that the usually upbeat hero could have such a dark, sad past. And yet, even despite all he had lost, he had apparently found ways of coping and overcoming, showing that he was certainly resilient indeed. But of course, what he hadn't mentioned was that the certainly did still haunt him, especially since he had been so young with this had happened and he had seen it all firsthand. However, as the silence was broken through once more, Sheik was the only one not to speak this time as she kept her scarlet eyes on Link intently, not showing anything through them even though she was feeling a million things at once.

"I'm sure he would be proud of you," Impa said, placing her discretion for Sheik aside for the moment as she gave the hero a sincere smile. "You have certainly proved your skill and bravery in this war thus far."

"Oh, Link, I'm so sorry…" Lana said as a few stray tears slipped down her cheek from the tragic tale she had just heard. "Something like that shouldn't have to happen to anyone, especially not you…"

"Did you ever find out what those bandits wanted with you anyway?" the Sheikah guardian asked with a frown.

"No," Link said with a sigh as he finally looked up from the fire he had been intently staring at this whole time. "I think my uncle knew, but he never told me for some reason..."

"I think I might have a hunch," the white sorceress said. "They were after the Triforce of Courage."

"But… I didn't even have it back then," the hero said in confusion, knowing that the first time he had ever seen the mark of the golden power on the back of his hand was just a few weeks ago.

"No, you didn't," Lana said knowingly. "But you've always had the essence of one who could bear it: the Spirit of the Hero. Those bandits must have somehow found out about it and confused it for you having the Triforce of Courage already. After all, the Triforce wasn't even separated until I split it apart to keep it safe from Cia…"

"How did you manage to do that anyway?" the Sheikah guardian asked as she looked towards the white sorceress.

Lana bit her lip a bit anxiously for a moment, figuring out exactly how she wanted to tell this story. "Well…" she said, glancing up into the starry skies above before she delved into her tale. "It was only month or so ago…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Cia! What are you doing!?"<em>

_A cold smile crept across the black witch's lips as she slowly turned around to face the white sorceress, who let out a surprise gasp at her changed appearance. "Ah, Lana…" Cia said, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "I'm so glad you're here…"_

"_Cia… what… what happened to you?" Lana asked as she took in her partner's revealing outfit, something that was a far cry from the chaste guardian's clothing that she usually wore. "Why are you acting so strange?"_

"_Why am I acting strange?" Cia scoffed, rolling her eyes at the white sorceress. "I think the better question is why are you being such a little goody-goody, Lana? You can't deny that we both feel the exact same way. Why don't you just embrace it like I have?"_

"_Because it's wrong!" Lana said with a worried frown, holding her book close to her chest. "Cia, I know you have feelings for the hero, but you don't see that you're being manipulated!"_

"_Manipulated?" Cia asked, clearly not believing her for a minute as she kept up her coy smile. "By who?"_

"_By the darkness in your own heart!" Lana said firmly, resolving to stand strong against her partner, even though it pained her greatly. "You've been corrupted by it, but you need to find yourself again before it's too late! Please, Cia; just let me help you. Together, we can-"_

"_Enough!" Cia shouted, glaring at the white sorceress hotly. "I don't need your help! I have plans to become more powerful than you could ever dream, and once I do, then I will finally make the hero all mine!"_

"_Cia, please!" Lana begged desperately, tears threatening to fall over how low the black witch had sunk. "This isn't right, and you know it! We're supposed to protect Hyrule and the Triforce, not endanger them for our own selfish desires!"_

"_How dare you stand there and lecture me about being selfish!" Cia growled darkly. "I know why you're trying to stop me, Lana. Don't think I haven't seen how you look at him whenever we observe him. You just want him all to yourself!"_

"_W-what?!" Lana exclaimed, trying to hide the rush of embarrassed red that flooded her cheeks. "No! Cia, you know what we're not the one for him! He's bound to another, and he always has been!"_

"_Oh, I wouldn't worry about that silly little bond for much longer…" Cia said, her sadistic grin returning. "Especially once I get rid of the princess once and for all…"_

_Lana let out a frightened gasp upon hearing this, knowing that she had to stop the black witch now more than ever. "I won't let you do that, Cia!" she proclaimed courageously, holding her book up as she prepared to attack her close partner. _

"_What are you going to do to stop me?" Cia asked haughtily, placing a hand on her hip as she grasped her scepter. _

_Lana hesitated for a moment as she seized her options. She could already feel the dark aura of strong power emanating from Cia, even if she didn't know where it was coming from. The white sorceress knew that she wouldn't be able to take the black witch on by herself, especially not withal of that power and her own meager amount, but, as she looked up towards the Triforce glimmering right behind Cia, an idea finally came to Lana, one that she prayed would work. _

_Her heart pounding with adrenaline, the white sorceress kept her eyes solely on the black witch as she held her hand out, a blue glow emanating around it. Cia gave her a confused look for a moment before her eyes widened in realization as to what Lana was doing. _

"_Lana, no!" the black witch shouted in fury, but it was already too late. With a powerful shout, the white sorceress threw her hand forward, letting her magic loose as it sailed towards the Triforce. Cia's jaw dropped in horror as she watched it strike the golden relic, which she was just about to add to her own power to become unstoppable. Almost immediately, the Triforce split apart into its three pieces, but the black witch wasn't about to let it go that easily. She was quick to raise her scepter into the air, however, her dark magic only managed to hit the Triforce of Power before the other two pieces shot up into the air and disappeared far out of her reach._

"_No!" Cia screamed in rage as only the Triforce of Power landed in her hand. With fire burning in her eyes, she spun around to face Lana, who had been severely weakened by the strong spell she had just cast. "Lana! I'll destroy you for this!"_

_The white sorceress let out a frightful gasp as she did her best to recover from the spell, especially as the black witch held her staff up in preparation for an attack. Panicking and out of ideas, Lana held her hands up over her head as she used her magic to vanish into thin air, not even hearing Cia's enraged scream of frustration as she teleported out of the Palace of Souls. _

_Lana rematerialized within the depths of the Forbidden Forest outside of the palace, not even needing to see it to know that it was being twisted thanks to Cia's dark magic and perverse desires. With a sad sigh, the white sorceress looked in the direction of the palace one more time, knowing that she had failed the black witch, and because of that, now all of Hyrule would have to pay the price. "I'm sorry, Cia…" she whispered as one of her tears finally fell. "I'll find a way to save you… Somehow…"_

* * *

><p>"I wandered around Hyrule for a few weeks, looking for a way to stop Cia, until I came across a group of ragtag Hylian soldiers who were working to get rid of the invading monsters," Lana said, her expression sad and wistful over what had happened to the black witch. "They joined me, and together we began helping out wherever we were needed, until we ran into you guys in the woods."<p>

"So, did you know that Sheik and I would get pieces of the Triforce when you split it up?" Link asked curiously, glancing down at his hand before realizing that the mark of the Triforce of Courage was no longer there thanks to Cia.

"No," Lana said, shaking her head. "But, based on how history likes to repeat itself, I figured that the chosen hero would get the Triforce of Courage, and you did, Link. The Triforce of Wisdom, on the other hand, is traditionally possessed by members of the royal family…"

"It is," Impa nodded, knowing the secrets of the royal family well. "So, if that's the case, then why did _you _have it?" she asked Sheik pointedly, glaring at her suspiciously.

The Sheikah warrior had not said a word for quite a long time, as she had spent the past several minutes still pondering the story Link had told about his family being slaughtered right in front of him, something that filled her heart with unspoken sympathy. She was somewhat taken off guard by the Sheikah guardian's sudden question, but she was quick to compose herself in order to answer it. "I did not know that I possessed the Triforce of Wisdom until Cia took it from me," Sheik said succinctly, though Impa's glare sharpened as she suspected her of lying. "As to the reason of why I would possess it, I do not even know that myself. One would think that it would be the proper birthright of Princess Zelda herself, wouldn't it?"

The Sheikah guardian curled her hands up into fists upon hearing this, but she knew that there would be more time to confront the Sheikah warrior about what she was clearly hiding when they traveled together the next day. But all the same, it still bothered her; after all, why in the world would someone like Sheik, who had seemed to come completely out of nowhere and be as mysterious as the wind itself, would have the Triforce of Wisdom, one of the royal family's most protected treasures. "It _should _be…" Impa muttered as she thought of the princess with worry, though she still gave the Sheikah warrior a look of distrust. "In fact, when I first started to care for the princess years ago, it was widely believed that she would get it…"

"When did you start working for Zelda, Impa?" Link asked inquisitively, realizing that he had never asked the first general this before, even though they had been working together for the past several weeks.

The Sheikah guardian let out a small sigh as she smiled slightly, looking back on what was a rather fond memory for her. "It was about thirteen years ago…" Impa said, her smile widening as she recalled the exact day. "I was around twenty, and Zelda was only about five. The queen had just passed away and her father needed someone to take care of her while he performed his royal duties. And so, the king called upon the Sheikah tribe to find a guardian for her."

* * *

><p><em>The young Sheikah woman stood alone within the king's study, somewhat concealed by shadow as she waited for his highness to arrive. She was quite anxious about this meeting, especially since the elders of her tribe had given her very specific instructions on how to behave and speak. Of course, she had been honored upon being chosen out of her people to be stationed at the castle, a high position for anyone of the Sheikah tribe. The Sheikah woman knew that she would faithfully preform any duties asked of her, no matter what they might be.<em>

_The door to the study finally opened and the middle-aged king, who's expression revealed that he was quite stressed, yet at the same time, sad, which only made sense as his dear wife had recently died from a horrible illness. And yet, he kept up his professionalism, even as the Sheikah woman bowed low to the ground in respect before her ruler. _

"_I apologize for being late," the king said, sitting behind his desk as he gave the Sheikah woman permission to rise and take a seat as well. "I have been quite preoccupied as of late, which is part of the reason why you are here…"_

"_You are quite alright, your majesty," the Sheikah woman said, inclining her head to him as she excused his tardiness. _

_The king nodded as he looked over the Sheikah sitting before him. "So, the letter that the Sheikah elders sent ahead of you says that your name is Impa, right?"_

"_Yes, sire," the Sheikah woman said with a nod, being as formal as possible._

"_Hm…" the king mused for a moment as he continued to examine her. "You seem to be a bit young for an assignment such as this… How old are you?"_

"_Twenty, sire."_

"_Twenty…" the king repeated thoughtfully, stroking his beard. "Do you have any experience with children?"_

"_I often tended to the young ones in my tribe," the Sheikah woman said._

"_And the letter said that you are skilled in the combat of your people," the king said. "I trust that you would be able to stand in as a bodyguard if that is needed."_

"_Of course, your majesty."_

"_Very good," the king said, finally cracking a small smile. "I trust that you understand that this job will entail you both protecting and caring for my daughter, yes? After all, she is my most precious treasure, and while I wish I had more time to devote to her, my position takes away most of my time."_

"_I understand that, sire," the Sheikah woman said with a sincere nod. "And if I am appointed to the position of her guardian, I promise you that I will care for the young princess as if she were my own."_

_The king's smile deepened as he nodded once more. "I trust that you will," he said. "After all, the Sheikah have been the trusted caretakers and guardians of the royal family for generations, and they have not let us down yet. But of course, it's not up for me to decide whether or not you get the job…" The king paused and looked towards the door of the room, calling out to the child waiting behind it. "Zelda, dear, you may come in now!"_

_The door hesitantly creaked open and the young princess entered in, her blonde hair flowing past her shoulders and her light pink dress dragging past her feet on the ground. The five-year old girl looked to her father expectantly after glancing towards the Sheikah woman inquisitively, having never seen a Sheikah in person before. "Papa?" she asked, her dark blue eyes asking why her father had called her here._

"_Zelda, this is Lady Impa," the king said, referring to the Sheikah woman with a proper title, even if she didn't officially have one yet. _

"_Hello, your highness," the Sheikah woman said with a kind smile as she rose to stand, kneeling before the young royal as she approached her with curious eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you."_

"_Are you a Sh-shakah?" the princess asked, trying to pronounce the name as correctly as possible, even if she did fall short._

_The Sheikah woman laughed warmly at this. "Yes, I am a Sheikah," she said with a grin. _

"_Wow!" the young princess exclaimed, her bright eyes alight with excitement. "Mommy used to tell me stories of the Shakahs! Can you run really fast?"_

"_Fast enough," the Sheikah woman nodded, too humble to brag about herself. _

"_Can you fight with needles?" _

"_I have before," the Sheikah woman said. "But I like to use a weapon called a naginata instead."_

"_Ooo," the girl said, growing more interested by the moment. "Can you show me?"_

"_Well, I don't have it with me right now, but I could," the Sheikah woman said, already growing to care for the adorable, innocent child before her. "That is, if you want me to stay…"_

"_You're going to stay?" the princess asked, her voice hopeful as she glanced towards her father. _

"_Only if you want her to," the king said with a smile upon seeing the two interact, already noticing that a bond was beginning to form. _

"_Oh, yes!" the princess said almost instantly, taking the Sheikah woman by the hand. "Please do, Lady Impa!"_

"_Of course I will, your highness," the Sheikah woman said, still smiling kindly. "But please, you can just call me Impa."_

"_Ok!" the young princess said cheerfully, already beginning to lead the Sheikah woman on a tour of the castle as the king merely nodded his approval of his daughter's new guardian. "But only if you call me Zelda!"_

"_As you wish…" the Sheikah woman said, knowing that she would be glad to do whatever she had to in order to keep the darling young princess safe and happy, even beyond the fact that it was her new duty. "Zelda."_

* * *

><p>"And I've done my best to care for her ever since," Impa said, succinctly concluding the story of how her and Zelda met. This sweet tale had significantly lightened the mood that both Link and Lana's tragic stories had set earlier, to the point that both the hero and the white sorceress were smiling softly to themselves. Sheik, however, simply averted the Sheikah guardian's gaze, her crimson eyes seeming to shine with hidden tears that thankfully no one noticed. There was much that she wanted to tell Impa, but she knew that now was not the time for it. But all the same, she could feel her emotions beginning to well up inside of her, and she knew that if she let them go, there was a large chance that they could give her away far too early.<p>

"It's getting late," the Sheikah warrior said as emotionlessly as possible, even if it was quite difficult after all she had heard. "I think I'm going to retire for the night."

"That's probably a good idea," Lana said, standing up as she let out a tired yawn. "After all, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Good night everyone!"

"Good night," Link said to both the Sheikah warrior and the white sorceress as they left, though both him and Impa opted to stay near the fire a bit longer to get warm.

As soon as Sheik was out of earshot however, the Sheikah guardian leaned in closer to the hero, who sat just across the fire from her. "So, what do you think?" she asked knowingly, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't be heard.

"About what?" Link asked in confusion, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Sheik," Impa said with a scowl. "I noticed how you seemed to be wary of her earlier. Do you suspect that something is off about her too?"

"Well… yeah, I guess…" the hero said with a frown as he lowered his voice as well. "She was kind of acting strange a while ago."

"I'm glad that you finally have started to catch onto it too," the Sheikah guardian said, her eyes glancing off in the direction that Sheik had headed off into. "I believe that her intentions don't really match what she says they are."

"I don't know about that," Link said, not wanting to be overly paranoid about someone who was supposed to be their ally. "But I do think she's hiding something."

"Like what?" Impa asked, raising an eyebrow.

The hero leaned in even closer to the fire as his next statement came out in a whisper. "I think she might know where Zelda is," he said with a frown, wanting to trust Sheik, even if her suspicious behavior made it difficult to.

The Sheikah guardian's glare sharpened even more upon hearing this, knowing that if the Sheikah warrior certainly was working with their enemy, then there was a good chance that she would know of the princess's location. "I'll keep a close eye on her as we set out tomorrow," she said with resolve, knowing that she was going to put a stop to this treachery before it could begin. "If she does know where the princess is, then I'll find a way to make her tell. At the same time, I want both you and Lana to keep a close eye out for her too. She could be literally anywhere, and any _time _now…"

* * *

><p>As dawn was just starting to crest over the entrance to the Valley of Seers, the Hylian army was all gathered together, split into three even faction as they prepared to move out to their separate assignments. At the very front of the companies stood the hero, the white sorceress and the two Sheikahs, all of them meeting together one last time before they split up.<p>

"We can regroup in Hyrule Field as soon as we're all done closing each Gate of Souls," Lana said with confidence that they would succeed in this venture. "Without their support, Cia will be more vulnerable, and from there, we can think of a plan to take her down."

"Let's plan to meet up in three days time," Impa said firmly. "That should be enough time for each of us to do what we have to and return."

"Sounds good," Link said, already prepared to leap back into action. "So, we're all ready to go, right?"

"I believe we are," Sheik said with a nod, not noticing the looks of derision that both the hero and the Sheikah guardian were giving her.

"Ok then!" the white sorceress said, her tone bright and chipper. "Let's head out! Good luck everyone!"

The other three members of the group nodded and exchanged their well wishes before the finally broke apart, each of the warriors leading a different faction of soldiers to their decided destinations. Even despite the feelings that they may have had to each other, the task before the heroes was clear: to travel through each portal and to each separate age, and close the gates before any more chaos was caused, so that they could finally begin to repair the damage Cia had inflicted on their land. With time growing short, they parted ways to do their important work simultaneously, each of them vowing to close the Gates of Souls and return safely.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so I may have some explaining to do now that this chapter is over, especially since i set up a lot of stuff that isn't really canon to HW, but hey, that's the power of fanfic, right? Expanding on the known! So, I think the flashbacks for Lana and Impa are pretty self explanatory, but allow me point out some things about Link's real quick. So, him having a little sister was a concept I took from the HW Prima guide, in which there is concept art for a design for a female Link (by the name of Linkle), who was actually supposed to be Link's little sister, or something like that. Of course, that was scrapped here, but I'd like to think that he had a little sister all the same, so there. Also, those bandits looking for the Triforce sort of were a reference to a Link to the Past (as is Link's uncle taking him in), in which the prologue states that many bandits and thieves have gone after the Triforce in the past. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I just thought I would explain a few things to make things clearer. Now, for next time, I think we're going to start off with Twilight Princess, which means we'll get to meet everyone's favorite princesses of both Twilight and insects! Hahahah! Well, for now, don't forget to review! Until next time!<strong>


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